Soul Searchers 'The Unquiet Grave' Book One
by Red Fauxie
Summary: AU story. They didn't like each other, that was apparent. When Punk sets out to investigate a creepy old church, he's not pleased he's been stuck with young medium, April. Suddenly, instead of sniping at each other, they have to depend on one another just to stay alive. (First story in this series)
1. Whatever you say April

**So here is that paranormal story I've been wanting to do. This is AU, so that means there is NO wrestling in it at all. It's just our favorite characters placed into a completely different world. I hope you enjoy it. :)**

* * *

Phil Brooks was a skeptic, a seasoned professional who based everything he came across on science and reasonable explanations. There usually was a way to debunk almost everything in this business. To him, the paranormal tended to be a lot more normal than it presented itself most of the time. One had to possess a lot of patience, a clear, controlled and very receptive mind, and the iron nerves required not to run scared every time you heard or saw something that didn't make any sense. After all, this profession wasn't for the faint of heart. Although, every once in a while he would come across things he just could not explain away. Those were the experiences that kept him coming back for more. Most importantly, he wasn't about exploiting the dearly departed for entertainment purposes. He was about helping people... the living and the dead.

Damp, invasive cold bit at his extremities as he quickly loaded all the equipment into the back of the SUV. November in Newfoundland had a reputation for being a land of fog and mist. Cool in the summer and long in the winter, it was a place seeped in mystery and intrigue. Rain fell in miserable torrents now, with seemingly no end in sight. The ferry from Sydney to Port Au Basque would be no better. Rarely had his team investigated north of the border, and when the chance came to participate in this particular haunting, he had jumped at it. Along with its bad weather, this wretched place also had another, more chilling claim to notoriety... it was a bewitched, haunted land of Vikings, ghosts, disappearing ships, floating lights and fairies. To Phil, that was a claim to fame he had no choice but check out for himself.

* * *

April Mendez was thrilled to get the call for this one. She had wanted to go there since she was a girl after hearing all the stories her whole life. It was mostly a pipe dream for her, but when the Paranormal Society called on her to accompany one of their best investigators for this trip, she jumped on it. That meant no money out of her pocket to travel, and she would be going into one of the most haunted places she had ever come across in her young career. The only unfortunate thing was that she would be working with _him_. It would just be them, no extra team, no production crew. The client wanted it to be as low key as possible.

She had never actually met Brooks, but his surly reputation preceded him in their circles. Rumour had it that he preferred the company of the dead over the living, having a strong distaste for most people he encountered. She was pretty sure he'd hate her with as much vigour as the last poor sap that got placed with him. This was of no matter to her. She was there to do a job, and if she did it well enough, she was hoping to be called for more.

* * *

He really wasn't looking forward to taking a new one with him, but he wasn't the boss, and she did come highly recommended. The last thing he wanted was a know it all clairvoyant getting in his way and making a whole lot of mountains out of mole hills. He disliked taking people who feel spirits with him on any investigation. They tended to muddy the waters for him, much less clear anything up. They were usually the ones thinking every little bump in the night was some poor bastard ghost needing help crossing over. Instead of searching out an alternative, they were talking into the air, trying to have a fucking conversation. After ward, he usually found the source of the noise... water pipes, loosened boards, electricity, wind. Once it was a loose hamster, for fuck sake. It was usually some _thing. _He was a completely different animal. He wasn't afraid of the living... so there was no need to be afraid of the dead. He didn't participate in such frivolities as seances or playing with Ouija boards... much less believe that any of their esp mumbo jumbo really worked.

He checked the time on his phone and stood leaning against the truck bumper waiting for her to show up. She was ten minutes late and they hadn't even officially started yet. So much for the good first impression, he thought, and shoved his hands into his jacket pockets to avoid the biting cold.

"Hey! Are you Phil Brooks?"

He snapped his head around to find this young, sprite-like girl running up with her bags slung over her shoulders. They were bigger than she was. _What the hell_... they sent him a teenager? What the fuck did they think he was, a babysitter? He had pictured some haggard older woman in failing health. Not some perky, pretty young thing fresh out of high school. What on earth could she possibly know about being a spiritual medium, he wondered? She sure didn't look the part. She had her long, brown hair tied up in a messy bun and she clearly was not dressed for this weather. She looked frozen to death, and it was plain to see her clothing had been saturated by the rain in her rush to get from the Greyhound bus to where he was parked at the far end of the ferry terminal.

"Yeah, that's me. Call me Punk, I hate formal names. Now, you are?"

"April Mendez." She flashed her toothy smile and held out her hand. She watched as he glanced at it, uninterested, then walked towards the back of the truck.

"You...you're the clairvoyant?" His tone was almost mocking now. "How old are you, fifteen?"

"Nice to meet you _too_." She frowned at his rudeness and followed him around the vehicle. "I'm twenty five, thank you very much, and YES, I'm the medium."

"I think I'll have to check your ID and credentials once we're on the boat."

Snorting her displeasure, she scowled at him. This was going to be so much fun, she thought to herself. Already he was playing nice and making friends. What a jerk. She really wanted to gag him with her fist, but she needed him to give her a good report, so dutifully, she shrugged off his audacious behaviour.

"Where should I put these?" She asked him, motioning to her luggage as she huffed and puffed, still trying to catch her breath.

He rolled his eyes at her and stood up straight, towering over her petite frame. "I'm not your valet, here you go," he tossed her the keys, "you shove that anywhere you can find some room."

* * *

The boat loaded about a half hour later, and she followed him up to the passenger deck a few steps behind, trying to keep up with his fast, lengthy gait. He hadn't spoken another word to her since she joined him in the parking lot, and she was quite happy to keep it like that. Every few minutes she took shivering spells, and had a good mind to go back to the truck and get some dry clothes to put on. This was going to be a six hour ride and she desperately needed to get warm.

They had taken seats near the front of the boat in a darkened area so they could at least try to get some sleep in the over night chairs lining the window. The moment she met the cold leather seat, an immediate rush of icy quakes overtook her body. He sat down a few chairs away, and crossing his arms over his chest he pulled his cap over his eyes, paying her no attention at all.

She stared out the large plate glass windows into the darkness, watching as more rain began to fall in torrents now, spitting against the dirty panes. Loneliness started to creep in even as a few more people took seats a few rows behind them. Here she was in the middle of god knows where, really, and the only person she knew, sort of, was acting like she didn't even exist. This trip was going to be a barrel of laughs, she could feel it..._ not_.

Glancing over to his relaxed form, she noticed the not so steady rise and fall of his chest. She could tell from the pattern of his breathing that he wasn't sleeping, yet. Still, he managed to make her feel like she she was travelling all alone. She narrowed her eyes at him, resenting him for being able to ignore her so completely. Another wave of shivering overtook her entire body and she clutched her arms around herself, rubbing her hands up and down them to try to feel warmer. She knew it wouldn't help. She needed some dry clothing, but that meant fetching her bag.

"Uh, I'm g-going down t-to get my b-bag from the t-truck. I need a d-dry shirt." She stammered.

Without even looking up, he sighed. "You can't go back to the car deck now... it's off limits until we dock."

"What?"

"I said you aren't allowed down there." He tipped his hat up and looked at her. "They lock it up until we get to our destination."

Oh..." She continued to shake, and pulling her knees to her chest, she hugged her arms around her knees to try to stop all that shaking. She would have to make do weather she liked it or not.

She really was a mess, he noticed. Her last set of tremors near did him in. If she didn't dry off she was going to be of no use to him sneezing and wheezing all over the place. "For fuck sake Ape... There's no way you're gonna warm up in wet clothes. Here." He peeled off his hoodie, then his sweat shirt, handing both to the shivering young woman. She looked like a drowned rat. "Put these on, I don't want you getting sick before we even get there."

"B-but, you only have a t-tee shirt on under t-that... you're g-going to get c-cold." She protested.

"I don't get cold. I have the blood of a god damned snake, just take these and get out of those wet things." When she just stood there staring at him, he snorted. "Now!"

April grabbed the sweatshirt and jacket from his hand and scurried off to the ladies washroom. She was mad at the way he'd glared at her, like she was some kind of idiot step child. He had the personality of a reptile as well, she thought, and tugged her hair free of the rubber band before pulling the sweatshirt over her head. He seemed to really dislike her, and she wasn't surprised by that. What _did_ surprise her was the selfless act of giving up his comfort for hers. She could immediately feel his body heat still lingering in the soft, thick fabric. After zipping up his hoodie she grabbed the collar in her hands and pulled it up close under her chin, revelling in its warmth. Inhaling deeply, she picked up the virile, musky scent of him still present, and her hairs stood up on the back of her neck. He wasn't supposed to have that effect on her. She didn't like him one little bit. She needed to take a walk and clear her head. He was a miserable son-of-a-bitch and she was only here for this investigation. After that, she never had to see him again. She was so thankful... but god, did he ever smell great.

_Did he call her Ape_?

* * *

He was stretched out in the seat now, with his feet propped up on the table in front of them, and his arms folded over his chest. She said nothing, and took the seat right next to him this time. His cap was once again pulled down across his face and he was either sleeping, or just plain ignoring her now. Taking a closer look, she could see he'd fallen asleep.

Being the avid people watcher that she was, she couldn't stop herself from noticing a few things about her new, cranky co-worker. It was her job to observe everything, so she decided to observe him.

For starters, he was tall... six feet or better she was sure. He was all lean, hard muscle, and her curious eyes couldn't help but follow the colourful, intricate swirls and lines inked around his biceps all the way down to his hands. His knuckles read, DRUG FREE. Lower on his fingers he had the word, _romance_... an odd combination, she thought, and couldn't picture him as having a romantic bone in his beautiful, ill tempered body. The lip piercing fit with his chosen method of body art quite nicely, too. He had scruffy, not quite shoulder length hair the colour of soot that poked out from under the rim of his hat, hanging low over his eyes and nose. He also must have left in a hurry that morning, as he'd clearly neglected to shave.

So he liked to work out, get tattoos, and investigate hauntings. He was sarcastic, rude, and wore a scowl on his handsome face for at least the entire time she'd been with him so far. But... Punk also had a very tiny chivalrous streak she was sure he would never admit to, even if he were facing electrocution. Her dark brown eyes still watching him, she heard a fan click on above their heads. _Great_... they had the air conditioning on in November? She could feel the cool air waft down over them almost immediately, and that's when he started to shiver.

_Blood of a snake my ass_, she thought, and took matters into her own hands.

* * *

The PA system woke him with a start, and he slowly blinked his way back to consciousness. He didn't notice her at first, he just knew he was a lot warmer than he'd been the night before. He also had his hand tangled up into someone's hair... flowery smelling, silky hair... Blinking his eyes slowly open, he rubbed at them and looked down.

She had taken his hoodie and covered them both with it, tucking herself underneath with him. She was now wrapped intimately across his chest fast asleep, and he was holding her there. _What the fuck_...

April felt him move under her, and she let go of a sleepy, comfortable sigh. That's when she felt it. Someone was tapping their finger on her head, over and over and over...

"Uh, any closer, _Ape_, and we'll be dating."

He laughed as she jumped away from him, a mortified look of shock in her dark, brooding eyes. Her cheeks were marked with heat, and her hair fell in wild curls around her face and over her shoulders. She was definitely a sight for his sore eyes.

She watched as his pale green eyes honed in on hers, and the corners of his mouth curled up into a wicked, self satisfied grin.

"I don't know what you think is so funny, _Phillip_, but you were the one shivering when I got back! I was just trying to return the favor." Her voice was dripping with venom, trying her best not to let on he'd gotten to her.

This was something new... she was either angry or embarrassed, either way, he was amused by her. Her buttons were so easy to push.

"No problem," he sat up and flexed his arms over his head in a relaxed, gusty yawn, "just try to keep your hands to yourself next time, or I'll report you for sexual harassment in the work place, _Ape_."

She lost it.

"Stop calling me that! My name is _April_, and I'll thank you to please use it! Now, weather you like it or not, I'm going to be working with you, so you don't get t be a complete jerk just because you think you can... I don't care who you think you are, you're just another egotistical ass hat to me! Got that?"

She was seething, and turned more than a few heads as they started to exit the passenger deck for their cars. He licked at his lip ring and smirked, just for her. This siren in children's clothing was about to be the source of all his entertainment this trip out. Raising a cheeky brow at her, he just couldn't help himself.

"Whatever you say _Ape_...ril."

* * *

**Thanks for reading, please let me know what you think. :)**


	2. Copping a Feel

**Thank you Kelzo for beta reading! You're awesome chicklette!**

**Check out other authors: My Chaos Theory, XxPunkleexX, White Firebird, and Kelzo85!  
**

* * *

April sat in silence, watching the misty, desolate Newfoundland countryside roll by while Phil drove. There was actual snow on the ground here. It was some of the most hauntingly beautiful scenery April had ever set eyes on, even if it was almost winter time. They had a few more hours of driving before even getting close to the Kittywake Coast, where their client lived. The temperature had fallen another three degrees, and Phil had to stop on the side of the highway at one point to dig out their winter coats. For some reason the heat wasn't working in the truck since departing from the ferry. He found it odd, seeing as it was working just fine before they got on the boat.

The highway followed the ocean for quite a ways as they travelled north, towards their stop for the night. He had booked a couple of rooms before they left Sydney with the intention of not having to drive at night. He hated to drive at night.

"Can we stop at a gas station or something? I would really _love_ to give you back your clothes,_ Punk_."

His eyes didn't deviate from the road in front of him. He knew she was sitting there with her bag on her lap, waiting to change. She'd been doing nothing but complaining about getting changed for the past forty five minutes. For some reason, his shirt was no longer good enough for her.

"I told you when I'm ready to stop, you can change. We have a tight schedule and I want to get there before dark. What's the big fucking hurry, anyway?"

She looked out the window and groused some more under her breath.

"What was _that_?"

She glanced in his direction for the first time in an hour. "Just pull over, please."

"No."

"Why not?"

"Because I want to get to our motel before dark, like I said."

"Fine then, I'll just get in the back seat the hard way."

She undid her safety belt, and tossing her bag over first, she crawled over the seat, her foot smacking him right in the face.

"Apr..._ Jesus_!"

The vehicle swerved, rolling across the centre line and then over onto the shoulder, jostling the truck violently to and fro for a few terrifying seconds. He grappled with the wheel left and then right, desperately trying to straighten out.

"What the hell is wrong with you? Is it that much of a hardship for you to just wear it until we get to the motel?" He yelled at her, clearly flustered over losing control. His heart was still in his bloody throat.

Yes, it is, she thought. She didn't want to have anything to do with him that close to her body. His oh-so male scent still in the sweater was driving her crazy. She didn't answer him, rifling through her bag for a shirt. There _had_ to be a shirt in this bag. There better be...

"Keep your eyes where they are." She warned him.

He snorted. "Like there's much to look at in the first place."

"More than you're ever gonna see, _pig_."

April peeled his shirt off her body and flung it at the back of his head, watching him cringe, then angrily flick it away.

"I'm driving! Stop being a pain in the fucking ass, _Ape_!"

"I said my name is _April!_ I won't allow you to call me..."

At that moment, she heard Punk groan very loudly.

"Oh fuck..."

"Phil?"

"Are you decent yet?"

She managed to slip on a new pair of jeans, but was still only clad in a little blue sports bra, and fishing for a top in her bag. "No, not yet..."

"Just stay back there and don't say a word, okay?"

"What's going on?" She could feel the him applying the brake, slowing down. Looking behind her, she saw the red and blue flashing lights of the cruiser now behind them.

Clearly annoyed now, Phil shoved the truck into park and turned the ignition off.

"You were driving a little erratically, is there a problem here?"

"No, I officer. I sneezed." He lied.

"So, you're American?" He noted the State side plates. "May I see your driver's licence and passport please?"

"Sure..." Phil was already wary of this guy, but reached into the glove box to retrieve his insurance, handing all the documents to the police officer.

"Have you had anything to drink today?" He asked, looking over the papers.

Punk turned to him, a peeved look in his narrowing eyes. "If you mean the two bottles of water I drank after leaving the ferry, yes."

"Don't be a smart ass. You know damned well what I mean."

Phil hated being asked this question. It was nothing more than an insult to him having to even answer that. "I don't drink, smoke or use drugs..." He was becoming more impatient by the minute. They were losing daylight.

"Would you mind stepping out of the vehicle?"

"Actually, I do."

"I'm going to ask you one more time. Please get out of your vehicle."

"What for? I haven't broken any laws." He furrowed his brows together in confusion, not understanding why this cop was so intent on having him out of the truck. That couldn't possibly be good.

"Just step out please, Sir, so we can talk over on the shoulder."

Against his better judgement, Phil opened the door and stepped out into the cold, biting breeze. He opened his mouth to speak when he was suddenly grabbed, his arm twisted behind his back his body pushed against the hood of the SUV.

"What the fuck?"

"Shut up. I know what you're up to, and it isn't going to happen here, pervert."

Phil was pissed off. He could feel the chill of the metal cuffs click and tighten over his wrists before he could even react. That was probably the best thing he could have hoped for. A foreigner hitting a law enforcement officer in a different country could get you some serious jail time.

Opening the backseat door he held his hand out to April. There she was, half dressed.

She wanted to die...

"Put your clothes back on sweetheart, then go sit in my car. Everything's going to be okay now."

"It, it's not what it looks like!" April started to say, but the officer waved her off. "Phil!" She cried out to him.

"You just stay over there little lady, until I get this all sorted out."

My god, she thought, did she look _that_ young? She watched from the warmth of his cruiser as he pretty much dragged Phil over to the other side of the truck and forced him to sit on the snow covered gravel. He fussed a little, and shrugged his shoulder away from the cop as he tried to sit without falling backward.

"Now, honey, do you have any identification at all? Where do you live dear?"

"My passport is in the truck... he, Phil... it's not what you're thinking! You didn't hurt him, did you?"

"Calm down now, everything will be okay. How old are you dear?"

"Twenty five! Let him loose, he hasn't done anything wrong!" She started to panic now, thinking Punk was about to get his ass thrown in jail. She couldn't let that injustice happen. "Phillip!"

"Why were you half dressed in the back of the vehicle?"

"I, I wanted to give him back his shirt. We just left the ferry and I didn't have time... You know, to change into my own. Listen, we're working together on a project, that's all." She explained as the wind found it's way inside her coat somehow, making her shiver even more.

The cop searched the SUV and found her identification right where she told him it was. It felt like an eternity before he finally returned.

"Okay, your ID does check out and I can't believe it, but you are as old as you say you are. I would have pegged you for sixteen." He glanced back to his prisoner and shook his head. "You should find yourself a new boyfriend. This guy's a loose cannon."

"Well I'm not sixteen and he isn't my boyfriend! Now will you please release him? He looks like he's freezing to death sitting on the ground! I know I am and I'm in your car!"

* * *

They watched the officer pull away as Phil rubbed at his wrists, trying not to shudder every few minutes. God dammit he was freezing. He glanced over to her, silently wondering what she was thinking. She kept tucking her long, wavy hair behind her delicate little ears as if she was nervous, but she wasn't. He also noticed the anxious rise and fall of her breast as she took each breath, and the way she sucked on her pouty, bottom lip... As irritating as she was, he couldn't help but admire her in more ways than one, but he would certainly never admit to it. She was still a thorn in his side, and an unwelcome addition to his routine.

April was the first to break the silence that crept between them.

"I can't believe he thought you had abducted me and I was just a kid."

"I guess to him, I look the part." He sighed. Never had a more disgusting accusation been made of him. "Fuckin' idiot... I do agree with him about one thing though, you DO look like a kid, April."

"You look like a criminal."

"Oh, we're back to this now, are we?" He asked, and jerked the truck back onto the road, leaving a spray of gravel in their wake.

"To what?" She was defiant.

He liked that.

"How you can go from hating my guts to being worried about me, back to hating my guts in less than twenty minutes."

"I still hate you, and I wasn't worried about your sorry hide."

"Then why were you literally begging the man to let me go?" He smirked. "So please, don't try to deny it. You were, I heard you. You cried out my name over and over..."

"Shut up!"

"You know you're kinda cute when you're angry."

He was so damned aggravating.

She was so damned gullible.

* * *

It felt like it took forever, but they finally pulled into the small seaside motel at dusk. It was snowing heavily now, and Phil had to slow down to a crawl for the last half hour. Half the red neon sign was burned out, and the other half fizzled on and off. There were about ten rooms, and no other cars in the parking lot. It was abject nothingness to April. Part of her thought it looked a little creepier than some of the places she had investigated in the past.

"I'll go in and get our keys. You wait here." he told her, and hopped out.

April drew in a deep, concerned breath. She was feeling something.

"So, are you the least bit interested in the back story behind our investigation tomorrow?" He asked her, taking a pair of sleep pants and a tee shirt from his bag. "I think we should at least go over the basics, don't you?"

She didn't answer him right away, seemingly lost in her own little world. It jarred him a little to see her in such a trace-like state. _What the fuck?_

"April?"

"Oh, I, I'm sorry. I was just... did you say you wanted to talk about the case?"

"Yeah," he sat down beside her at the small kitchenette. "What were you told?"

"Well, I know it's an old church, over one hundred and seventy years old, right?"

"One hundred and seventy three to be exact. It was used as a hospital and a morgue at one point, during an epidemic of influenza in the eighteen hundreds. The research said over thirty people had died in the small fishing community. Lots of them were just small kids, too. I'd say that was the beginning of the end for the small town built around it."

"That's so sad." She could feel a small pain in her heart.

He nodded in agreement. Sadness, fear and grief always went hand in hand in his line of work. He'd gotten quite used to hearing all the heart breaking stories from clients. It was just the nature of the beast. Anything that involved kids always damned near did him in.

"So, who asked us to check it out, and why?"

"The current owner said he's having the place renovated, and as you well know, that can stir up activity a lot. He hires men to come in and work, and they end up quitting days later. I think the longest lasting guy was three days."

"Wow..."

"It's bizarre, for sure. A painter tried to do a job that should have only taken three hours, but after three days he quit. The paint was always ruined by someone's hand prints smearing it all over the walls. Sometimes there were words written in it too."

Yawning now, he dragged his hand through his hair and got up, heading for the bathroom. "Look, I'm gonna get changed, we have an early start in the morning. Do you want me to walk you to your room before I go to bed?"

"No, I'll be fine. Just make sure you tuck the blankets in tight around you before you do go to bed."

He looked at her like she had three heads. "Excuse me?"

"If you don't, she'll pull them off you."

"_Who_?"

"The lady in the room. I've been listening to her babble over you since we got here." April couldn't help the cheeky smile. This was hilarious to her.

Phil rolled his eyes. "You cannot be serious, April..."

"Oh, I assure you I am. She's... just a sec." April closed her eyes and looked like she was listening intently to completely nothing. "She's the manager's deceased wife. He name is... I'm getting it, hold on. Sounds like maple..."

"This is crazy April, you aren't feeling a god damned thing, now stop that."

"Mabel!"

"_April_!"

She opened her eyes and smiled at him. His eyes were wide, a touch of uneasiness swirling behind the pale green orbs. He almost looked... startled.

She had him now.

"She likes you... you may want to stay dressed, _handsome_. Don't worry, she won't hurt you, but she might try to cop a feel!"

He watched her smirk at him this time. Picking up her bag she grinned ear to ear and gave him a wink, closing the door behind her.

This is fucking ridiculous... this shit didn't usually get to him at all but... Here he was in the bed, still dressed, and had a fucking light on. When he felt something tug at his hair, he jumped up with a yelp.

"What the hell..."

Grabbing the phone, he pressed one for the office.

"Hey, do you have a wife..."

* * *

**Hope you are enjoying this new story as much as I am. Again, thank you for all the follows and comments. I love them. Special thanks to my regular readers as well!**


	3. Kiss me Punk

**Okay... make sure you read to the end, and the message I have at the bottom. **

**Thank you to My Chaos Theory, WhiteFirebird and XxPunkleexX for proof reading some of this for me, and XxPunkleexX for lending a helping hand in a spot I am sorely lacking in. I'll explain better when you get to the bottom of the page. ;)**

**As always, thank you to all who review and read and follow!  
**

* * *

Phil audibly exhaled, not interested in trading insults with her today. Rubbing his hand across his ashen face, he tussled his hair, sheepishly handing her the truck keys. "I'm too tired to drive, here."

She was amazed at the dark circles now under his eyes, and the fact that he'd once again, neglected shaving. Surely he knew he needed to present a more professional, polished look for their client. Tilting her head to one side, studying him, she had to ask.

"Did you sleep at all, or did _Mabel_ keep you up all night? Cheeky old bird..." She chuckled at him, and pocketed the keys. When he didn't answer her with a smart ass remark right away, she paused, catching his arm as he tried to walk past her. "_Phil_? All kidding aside, _are_ you okay? You look like a bag of monkey crap."

Yep, he was going to lie about it. "I had no late night ghostly booty calls, if you must know. Thank you for the endearing compliment and your concern, but I'm fine. At least I will be if I can get some shut eye in the truck."

"Didn't you sleep at all last night?"

"I don't sleep well on a good night, okay?" He admitted, rubbing his eyes some more. "Stop asking so many fucking questions." He snapped at her.

There was no way he was telling her she'd spooked him, or that she had been dead on with the motel owner's late wife_ and_ her name. He wasn't going to tell her _any _of that. It would be his little secret that this frisky spirit got a little hands on the few times he _had_ drifted off to sleep. He'd never been touched before, and that honestly did unnerve the seasoned ghost hunter. He knew the spirit wasn't trying to harm him, she just... she just creeped him the fuck out.

"But, I have no idea how to get there. Phil, are you listening to me?"

He snapped out of his thoughts and back to her questioning, worried eyes. "That's what GPS is for, pretty lady." His voice was heavy laden and eyes barely open. "Have you ever driven in snow?"

"Of course, but..." Did he just call her _pretty lady_? He must really be tired, or hallucinating, she thought.

"No buts... I _need_ you to drive and that's the end of it."

* * *

They pulled out and headed north east, April now behind the wheel while Phil leaned into a travel pillow pressed up against the window. He was gone the minute he laid his head down.

She parked the truck and turned it off. The vastness of the land only paled in comparison to the sea before them, breaking wildly in the cold November wind against a rugged, rocky shoreline. She had never looked upon anything to untamed. There were a few scattered cottage-like homes, brightly painted, one with a white picket fence. Checking the GPS one more time she was confident she had the right address.

Turning to her irritable boss, she sighed. Oh, how she was going to hate waking him. Mister hot and cold. His hands were curled up to his face just under his chin, and his mouth was open just enough to make him look as though he were pouting. Long, dark lashes rested on his cheeks, hiding his eyes... she had to stop looking into those, they were dangerous. While he slept, he almost seemed human, and more than tolerable in this sweet, vulnerable state. She watched him rest for a few blessed minutes more, much like she had on the boat. Gone were the sarcasm and scathing wit. The person she saw now was completely relaxed, opinion and objection free. She knew she would have to prove herself to him. It was going to take a little while for him to realize she wasn't a phoney, and she knew she'd have to earn his respect the hard way. He didn't take her gifts seriously. Eventually, he would have to admit she was as real as they come.

He could hear her calling to him, but he couldn't open his eyes. Only having been resting a few minutes at the most, he growled at her.

"Let me sleep, come on..." He groused, lightly batting her hand away from his arm.

"Phil, I hate to do this to you, but, we're here." She shook him more vigorously this time. It wasn't that she didn't appreciate his silent, sleeping form, but they had, indeed, arrived.

Phil jarred awake to her insistent prodding, and shot her such a hateful glare. It wasn't until she pulled back from him, a sad, wounded look written all over her face, that he realized he'd just hurt her feelings.

April turned away from him and opened her door. "I'll meet you out there when you're ready,_ Sleeping Beauty_."

"April wait..." Phil reached over and caught her wrist. Her eyes darted from the tattooed hand wrapped around hers to his repentant grey green eyes. "I'm sorry a barked at you, I'm just tired. That's all."

Nodding, she silently accepted his apology and slipped from the vehicle as quickly as she could. She was still hurt. Those mossy eyes would be the death of her, and she didn't want to linger too long in them. Phil rolled his eyes to the heavens and sank into his seat, throwing his head back in mild frustration. He was feeling a little defeated and a whole lot ashamed for having spoken to her in such a sharp tone. He really didn't mean it. She was a good kid and he was a colossal dick.

* * *

April carefully picked her way across the light, powdery snow towards the main house. Tiny, dust-like snowflakes still fell all around her and the wind had little sympathy for her extremities. When she heard his door slam shut behind her, she moved to hasten her pace, almost tripping in the heavy, knee high drifts before her. The cold mercilessly bit at her face and ears, and she held one arm up to try and block the unforgiving wind from her stinging eyes. They burned. She was just about half way up the walk when he shouted to her.

"April, wait up!" His voice was strained, and he sounded pissed off, again. He couldn't look straight ahead in the piercing icy wind, but he pressed towards her none the less.

She pretended not to hear him over the howling winter wind, trudging one boot over the other, her lungs becoming tight and her ears starting to ache. There was no reprieve as she continued to try and fight her way forward, only to be stopped dead in her tracks.

It was the anguish that overwhelmed her, threatening to implode in her head and she grabbed desperately at her ears, both knees meeting the snow covered ground in front of her. Something unkind was trying to send her a message...

When he saw her stumble, he moved even faster.

"April!"

He landed beside her in seconds, one arm over her shoulder trying to help her to her feet. She had that same, catatonic expression she had in the motel the night before. This was bad, very bad for him. "Are you okay?"

She didn't respond to him at all this time. Her eyes glazed over and he felt a little helpless for the first time in his life. Both of them were shuddering now and he knew if he couldn't feel his hands, neither could she. The had to get out of the icy weather quickly.

"Get inside you two, before you blow clear away!"

Phil snapped up to see the care taker coming towards them now, and with his help they managed to drag her inside. They settled the girl on the parlour sofa and Phil knelt down beside April, starting to get a little worried. He draped a blanket over her trembling shoulders.

"I'm Paul, Paul Heyman, I own this place. You must be the folks I've been waiting on." He extended his mitten clad hand for Phil to shake. Glancing to April, he wrinkled his nose up curiously. "Is your colleague going to be okay?"

Phil shook his hand, then brought his attention back to April. "I think so. I've seen her do this before, and it doesn't usually mean good things."

"Ah... so she's the one that's got the gift. It was smart to bring her, she'll keep you out of harm's way, be your guide."

"Thanks, but I don't need a guide, I never have and never will. She's only here at your request." The testy ghost hunter adamantly pointed out.

She sat with her hands on her knees like she was afraid of something for a few minutes, noticing Phil had taken up residence on the floor beside her, gently rubbing his hands over hers trying to get some warmth back in them.

"Cuppa tea, ma'am?" Paul asked her, noticing she was finally back with them.

Her eyes snapped over to Paul, then back to Phil. She grabbed onto his fore arms and bored right into his startled eyes.

"Phil... _he_ doesn't want _us _here. There's so much pain and despair... I don't know if we can make this better..."

"Who's _he_?" Phil asked her, trying to understand. "Are you doing that_ thing_ again?" He asked, getting a bad feeling in his gut.

"It's just the emotions I'm feeling, and let me tell you... they're almost not... human. If we go there, we may not come back."

"Come on April, that's absurd." He protested. Now she was starting to remind him of a bad slasher movie.

While her admission floored him he didn't show it, and it did nothing to affect Mister Heyman, who stood in the kitchen listening intently to her feelings as if they were real. They _weren't_ real. He was sure they weren't.

"Actually, she's _dead_ on, Mister Brooks. It's why I called you here and requested a gifted medium. I'm hoping something can be done about the dark spirit that resides in and around the church and other buildings I'm trying to restore. If there's a chance she can find a way to get rid of him it will all be worth my while. If I can't get rid of him, I have no business left. As I've already told you, this activity is scaring away contractors, and next it will be my potential customers."

"Wait... you believe what she's telling you? That there's a harmful spirit haunting your place?"

"I not only believe her, I know she's absolutely one hundred percent correct."

Phil watched as the man said it without even flinching. He really did believe every word he was saying. Now, Phil had seen a lot in his years doing this, and not once had anything ever been deemed a physical threat to him or his crew. Most of it he was able to explain, and he had never been afraid. Everything about April's worried expression told him he probably should be.

He lay awake in the bed thinking about everything she said. How the whole island was dark and dangerous and that _He_ didn't want them there. Who the fuck was _He_? That Paul dude was hanging on her every word. He called them warnings. This was why he hated taking a medium. Punching down his pillow he tried to try sleeping again. This was starting to get ridiculous. His mind wouldn't quiet down for what felt like all night, and first thing tomorrow, they were getting on a dinky little boat with all their equipment and spending the night on some haunted island without any power in the middle of a snow storm... brutal.

* * *

Phil slowly opened his eyes and swallowed hard, realizing he wasn't alone in the darkened room. He could still hear the wind whistling past the window, shaking the thin, single pane glass, but there was something else. Quiet, padded footsteps came closer as he lay perfectly still, not moving a muscle. Someone was there, and he could feel eyes on his back as he lay motionless, waiting for something... anything. The not so distant memories of Mable were still swirling about in his foggy mind, and he had himself hoping she hadn't followed them here.

Everything April had been spewing all evening started to replay in his head like flash cards, and he felt goose flesh start to appear along his uncovered arm and up along the nape of his neck. Every hair stood on alert and when he felt a small, warm hand on his shoulder he damned near hit the ceiling. Recoiling from the sudden start, he rolled, no, make that launched out of the bed with a thud, taking the covers with him.

"Phil, it's just me!"

He shook his head and sat up to find her sitting on the edge of his bed now, laughing at him.

"What the ** are you doing in here, Ape?" he asked, his voice showing those tell tale signs of annoyance again.

"Actually, Phillip..." She crawled across the mattress over to the other side where he still sat on the floor, popping the last 'p' in his given name, "I couldn't sleep. I was hoping we could talk, you know?"

"Funny, I was hoping I could sleep."

She chuckled and sat cross legged in front of him. "Didn't look to me like you were very successful with that, Phillip."

"Stop calling me that."

"Stop calling me Ape."

"I will when you start calling me Punk."

"Never."

"Ape."

"You want me."

"In your dreams."

"Liar."

"Get off my bed and out of my room! If I don't get any sleep tonight you'll be carrying all the gear in the morning, Ape."

He didn't see her coming at him until she had him around the neck, her entire body careening over his in a blur of pink hello kitty pyjamas and long dark hair that happened to smell like lemon grass...

The only thing separating their bodies was a thin, flannel blanket and her pj's. There was nothing left to either of their imaginations now. One of her legs intimately tucked between his over the sheet, her thigh pressed snugly up against the hardness now forming there.

He closed his eyes, their faces only inches apart, and inhaled her intoxicating, feminine scent. He could feel her warm breath dance across his lips, and his eyes blinked open to find her smiling at him. All traces of his previous irritation were long gone now.

She tugged her small fingers through his unruly black hair and down along his scruffy jaw line, the tips barely touching his skin. His heart danced inside his chest at the feel of her touching him, and he dragged his two front teeth over his bottom lip, allowing himself the luxury of pulling his fingers through the silky hair that framed her beautiful face, letting the ends fall lazily between his rough fingers. She was a thing of great beauty... he had to touch her.

Reaching up, his hand caressed her neck and his thumb brushed lightly against her perfect, delicate ear, admiring her striking beauty.

"Kiss me... _Punk_."

His eyes shifted focus from her brown eyes to her full pale lips. They were parted slightly, a hint of a pink tongue and he was now her willing captive. He tugged her to him, the shifting of her movement creating a line of fire as he felt each soft round counter against the hard edges of his body.

Bracing her hands tentatively on his naked, well defined shoulders, she wet her lips, her eyes darting down to his lips and fluttering shut as he drew nearer. He hesitated for a fleeting moment, the air charged with electricity and tension but the second that her finger brushed the rapidly beating pulse point, all the hesitancy evaporated and all that was left was a sound echoing in his mind, egging him on, it all but screamed to taste her.

His hands framed her face, the pads of his fingers glancing over her neck as his lips caressed hers. They were soft and moist,and trembling beneath his. Keeping the pressure light at first, he sampled her, enjoying the feel of the soft quivering lips beneath his, his lips brushing back and forth against hers, tempting her until she began to respond just as eagerly. Groaning, he finally allowed himself to deepen the kiss, his tongue slipping out to trace her lips, her mouth parting on a gentle appreciative sigh, her own tongue cautiously moving to meet his.

His deft hands slid easily down the length of her spine as he stole her breath, his fingertips stroking little circles over the small of her back and the curve of her hips...

_"Phil..."_

"Phil... why are you on the floor?" She asked, yawning at the foot of his bed, not even registering his present state of nakedness.

He was sweating, profusely. His hips barely covered by the blue flannel sheet, hiding the tell tale signs of his dreams.

* * *

**After the words, _"Kiss me Punk_.", I stopped writing. Punklee wrote the kiss and she did an excellent job and I am just, WOWed to death. I changed maybe three words of it. I cannot write that stuff effectively enough and I have to say, she does. Thank you for your help girlie!**


	4. I assure you, this will be no party

**Punklee and Kelso helped beta read bits of this, thank you! I stole the phrase, shit eating grin because it was too cool not to use here. Thanks! ;)**

**Thank you for the follows, the reviews and for reading.  
**

* * *

There would be no_ way_ April was ever going to tell him what _really_ brought her into his room last night. She hated when she had those prophetic dreams, they unnerved her to no end and only amplified the danger she was sure they would be facing once they arrived at their destination later that day. Tying her hair up, she fought off every last urge to come clean and tell him what she'd seen, but she knew he'd only laugh it off. Such bravado. Still... what had started out as them taking refuge in a dark place, turned into getting way too close for her comfort. The memory of his warm breath dancing across her oversensitive skin, and the feel of how lightly his lips pressed to hers gave her an unwelcome shudder. It had been _that_ real to her.

The space was cramped, cold, darker than the gates of hell, and worse yet, extremely confining. They had run for their lives in this dream, away from that _thing_... It had made deadly promises, and she was determined to stop them from coming to pass. They were forced so close together in their little refuge that she could feel his heart beating wildly inside his chest. She could only assume at that point it was because they were both scared half to death. Neither one of them could catch a breath. When his hand tangled into her hair, titling her head to meet his frightened eyes, her own heart almost stopped beating.

There they were, both in a panic and shivering, their panting, tired bodies pressed intimately together, and suddenly he was softly kissing her... nibbling at her, tasting her as if he were trying to lose himself in the moment and forget they were the ones being hunted. She fervently kissed him back, taking in the earthy, pine scent of the camp fire smoke permeating his hair, skin and clothing...

She woke from a deep sleep, her body covered in sweat, and she could still feel that sickening nausea deep in her gut. Every single hair in every single follicle stood on end as she sat upright, holding herself. She touched her lips, the memory of his unexpected kiss still fresh and lingering across her trembling mouth. _It felt so real_... Confused and trying to get her bearings, she remembered... did that _thing_ just threaten _Phil_? It _did_... she knew it did.. Clearly agitated now, she had to check on him. Coursing her shaking fingers through her hair, she snatched her slippers up from the floor in haste, struggling to get them on her feet. Her body wouldn't stop trembling as she fumbled with the door knob, finally stepping out into the dark, empty hallway.

The house was completely quiet, except for the howling wind still blowing outside and the creaking of the old building as it settled, holding its own against the forces of the storm. Nothing stirred. The silence, _deafening_. Her slippers scuffed against the hard wood floor and echoed down the hall as she approached his door, her heart now beating in uncomfortable disconnected rhythms against her ribs. Still shaking, she wrapped her fingers around the knob and turned, hearing its loud, metallic click as the aged, wooden door popped open.

It was even darker inside his room, but she couldn't see his sleeping form on the bed, and forced herself to step cautiously inside. A hot, stabbing pain plunged deep inside her chest as her eyes strained against the darkness. _Where was he_? Fear gripped her even more as it drove her deeper into the room. She tip toed over to the foot of the bed and there he was, half-naked and tangled in the covers on the floor...

* * *

He wouldn't even look at her, much less acknowledge she was there unless he had to. Although, his tired, heavy-lidded eyes had other ideas. Every time she spoke, they were instinctively drawn to her pretty pink lips, recalling how she tasted in his dreams, how much like vanilla she smelled... how soft her skin felt against his own. _Fuck_...

"Good morning Paul!" She chirped in sing-song fashion. Ruffling his hair as she danced past him, she smirked, at the very least getting an unimpressed groan from him.

She skipped into the kitchen with a smile so wide he felt as if he should be wearing aviator sunglasses to ward of the searing glare.

Her wavy hair was pulled back into a loose pony tail that flipped and bounced from side to side as she walked. It hadn't escaped his attention that she was dressed in a pair of jeans that fit so snugly he didn't have to imagine a thing, or that she'd pulled on the black hoodie she'd failed to return to him two days ago. By the time he got that back it would smell like her... he let out a defeated sigh. Great, _just great_...

Their host Paul was busy slicing up home-made bread into thick pieces for toast. The aroma of bacon frying in a cast iron pan filled April's head and left her mouth watering. She was hungry now.

"So, how did you both sleep?" Paul asked them as Phil slowly shuffled his way into the bright, cheery kitchen so early on a Saturday morning. He had a sneaking suspicion that one of them didn't get much rest at all. "There's some boiled water in the kettle, mugs in the cupboard and help yourselves to pretty much anything else you can find... oh, and there's some porridge in the pot, here. It's good for you, so I expect you both to eat it. That ought to stick to your ribs really good in this chilly weather."

Phil glanced out the window. The skies were clear and blue, the view breathtaking. Still, he couldn't shake away the awkward tension he felt every time he tried to look in April's direction. This was going to be hell for him. Not only had she found him wrapped loosely in a sheet naked, but the reason behind it was ridiculous, and he didn't want to think about. He didn't even like her, much less want to have a lip locking dream with her as its star. She was immature, a newbie in the field, and _a medium_. Three strikes, you're out.

April's eyes danced over the early morning feast and she helped herself to a bowl, scooping up two spoonfuls of the steaming oatmeal and handing it to Phil.

"Here, you need this."

Not yet quite awake, he took it from her and found a seat. He hadn't eaten anything since before they boarded the ferry, he realized. He was hungry and didn't know it until he started to sprinkle a truck load of brown sugar all over the hot, gooey cereal.

"Here," April laid a cup of black instant coffee in front of him, "I kinda figured you aren't a tea drinker, and Paul had some of this in the cupboard."

His eyes settled on the steaming cup, then finally, he had no choice but to look at her. "Thank you, Ap..._rrrrilll_."

He dragged out her name with a loose, husky drawl that whipped at her insides like a blender. Could she hate him even more for it? Probably, but not now. He looked like he'd been hit by a bus, and watching him burn his tongue every few moments as he tried to eat his oatmeal was just too damned cute.

Paul observed with great interest as she took care of him like a mother hen, while he spent his time making sure he barely responded to her. She really was making it next to impossible for the ghost hunter to ignore her. He admired the young girl's persistence and grit. She was a sassy, bundle of quirks and surprises and he knew gimmick wary Mister Brooks was going to need her more than he was willing to admit once they stepped foot on that little island. The more she hovered, the safer they both would be.

* * *

Breakfast was over, and they finished packing up the last of their bags before heading to the boat with Paul. Phil noticed April duck away quietly, and curious as always, he followed. After having her sneak up on him in his room last night, it was his turn to sneak up on her this time.

She hopped up the steps two at a time, and back into the room she'd spent the night in. He took the stairs slowly after her, trying not to make them creak under his weight, and slipped up the hall unnoticed. Leaning silently in the doorway he watched as she sank to the floor sitting cross-legged in the corner. Her eyes closed, she clutched at the black, circular talisman that hung around her neck, like she was praying over rosary beads. He watched her for more than a minute as her small fingers rubbed the metal, and her lips barely moved to secret words only she knew as she rocked back and forth. Creepy as fuck...

"What'cha doing,_ Ape_?"

April nearly jumped out of her skin. There he was in a lazy lean, his hip pressed to the door frame, and one ankle crossed over the other in a rather lordly stance. "What are_ you_ doing? Were you following me?"

"That's two questions, honey, and I do believe I asked you _first_."

He wore that stupid shit eating grin, expressing his uncontrollable delight, like he knew something she didn't. She was mad now. "You have no business coming in here, now get out! I'm busy!" She got to her feet and stomped over to him.

His lips pursed together, trying to stifle his laughter. He was more than mildly amused now. "What is this, some kind of crazy arsed hocus-pocus?" He pretended to look past her into the room. "Where's the Ouija board and voo-doo dolls?"

"I say a protection prayer before I enter ANY haunted space! How dare you make light of my efforts to keep us... YOU mostly, protected while we're on that island! You are _such_ a dumb ass!"

"That... _that's_ what you were doing? _Ho-leee _fuck!" His pale green eyes grew wide with amazement, and this time he didn't try to hide what he thought of her private ritual. "April, this isn't necessary... I don't need anyone's protection. There's nothing there I need protection from, that is...unless..." He paused, tilting his head to one side like he was deep in thought, and snared her eyes in his mocking gaze. "Unless _you're_ the one I need protection from. Ape, baby, do you have plans to ravage me once we're totally alone on that island?"

Shocked, her mouth gaped open almost as wide as her eyes did. He stood there, practically laughing in her face, and assuming she wanted him. _Him_! "You are un-fucking believable, do you know that? You just refuse to take this seriously, well fine! Don't come crying to me when you need help, Mister Bad Ass Brooks!" She pushed past him, knocking him into the hall as she headed down the stairs.

"I didn't need you before this case, and I really don't need you now!" He called after her, still laughing. She was so hot when she was screaming at him. _Hawt_...

* * *

"Is everything loaded?" Paul called over to Phil, who was struggling through the knee deep snow, his arms laden with camera equipment.

"This is the last of it, let's get this party started." He said, cursing himself for not wearing gloves, unable to feel his finger tips anymore.

Paul froze. "My dear fellow, I assure you, this will be _no_ party."

Phil shook his head and rolled his eyes. This guy was way too melodramatic for his liking. He was starting to sound like April and this was getting really old now. It was one thing to admit he had a ghost problem, but to actually believe whole heartedly in April's ability to speak to the dead and know what they wanted was preposterous in his opinion. Well, mostly... the jury was still out on that one. He preferred to rely on the hard science his equipment provided, than a mere _feeling_. Finally on board with all the equipment and supplies loaded, he watched Paul cast off, and pushed the small motor boat away from the dock.

April was on board inside the boat's cabin, still supremely pissed off at him. She sat there with her arms folded over her chest, refusing to even look at him now. He made it loud and clear he didn't want her help, nor did he believe she was for real.. but that wouldn't stop her from trying. She couldn't in good conscience not do everything she was able to keep them safe from this... evil _thing_. It was warning her again.

All three were quiet now, only the rumbling of the boat's troubled motor making any noise at all. Wind lashed the small boat to and fro, washing sea water over the deck and giving Phil a queasy stomach. He'd never been one for being out on the open water. It had been more than an hour since their screaming match at Paul's place. He wasn't looking at her, deciding to give it a break at least until they arrived. He hadn't detected her entire demeanour change. Paul noticed her first, motioning to Phil with a slight nod. April's hands were resting on her lap, staring out toward Shady Island. It was the same, blank look as yesterday.

"What are you feeling, child?" Paul asked her from the wheel.

Her eyes closed and she winced, as if she were in physical pain... when she doubled over Phil was on his knees in front of her taking hold of her arms with a forceful shake.

"April, what's wrong? Snap out of this shit!"

"Don't touch her!" Paul reached over and grabbed him by the shoulder, trying to pull him away. "She's channelling and you could be ruining a great chance to receive more information on what we're dealing with here!"

He shrugged the older man away and took hold of her hands, finding them ice-cold. Her healthy looking, tanned skin tone was ghostly pale, and her eyes appeared almost vacant. "April, come on now, cut it out with this sixth sense bullshit. You're scaring me."

It was creepy the way she just seemed to tune back in to his gaze, her dilated pupils returning to normal. "April? What's happening... tell me." That was no idle enquiry on his part. He was genuinely concerned this time.

Her fingers laced into his and she squeezed. "We should turn back... it, it's not safe."

"We can't do that, there's nothing that can hurt us, April. Come on... you're the best. I didn't expect to see a scared little kid." In his flawed way, he was trying to get her to come back to her senses. The trouble was, she already had full control of them, and they were setting off every alarm bell she had.

Her brows knit together disapprovingly and her face was instantly marred with a scowl. "I'm not talking about this not being safe for me, _ass hat_. It's _you_... you need to have eyes in the back of your head if we go there!" She didn't know if she was angrier that he still refused to take her seriously, or the fact that he called her professionalism into question. Either way, they were now only minutes from the dock and being alone over night.

The boat rocked and rolled over the increasingly rough waters of the Straight now, its hull crashing hard over the waves as dark clouds started to move in once again. Paul watched silently as he steered the small boat closer to Shady Island, listening to the two bicker in the background. The girl knew the same thing he did. There was something evil hiding there, and it was making itself known. Her stubborn boss wasn't having any of it.

* * *

"Okay, listen up people, because I'm only going to stay long enough to say it once." Paul started to explain, tossing the last of their gear on the rickety, weather worn dock. "The weather looks like its starting to turn again, and if it's bad in the morning, don't expect me back until it clears. You won't have any cell phone access here, so calling for help if one of you breaks something isn't an option. I have fuel for a generator in the main house, otherwise, there is no electricity."

"All right, which place is it?" Phil asked him, gathering up as many of the cases and bags as his arms could carry. He always carried the camera equipment himself, only leaving two bags for April.

Paul pointed to the top of a small crest and a small, bright red place, standing alone from the rest of the buildings. "That one."

April turned to look up towards the abandoned community, feeling _his_ presence grow stronger, the closer they got. The place was as barren and empty as it made her feel. There were few trees, and from where she stood, it looked like most of the other buildings were extremely run down. She couldn't see who or what this thing was, but she could still feel his overwhelming anger. Indescribable hate permeated from this spirit.

"Okay, thanks. I guess we should get the equipment off the dock, it's going to take the rest of the day to get it all set up, and have to have it done before dark." He was about to start walking when he noticed Paul hop back aboard his boat. "Hey, aren't you going to show us around, point out the hot spots?"

"Are you nuts? I'm not staying here any longer than I have to. All you need to know is that the church is where you need to be. You're the ghost hunters, now you deal with it."

April and Phil watched, the cold north-east wind whipping cruelly around their bodies, as Paul's boat slowly chugged its way back across the channel and away from them. They were alone.

"I guess this is it, Ape... we're officially past the point of no return." He shuddered from the cold, and shot her a playful, sidelong glance before spinning around and marching towards the lone red house on the hill. "Are you coming, or are you planning on staying out here for the rest of the day?"

She angrily grabbed two of the cases and stalked after him, freezing. "You better stop being so smug, Mister Brooks, because that's the kind of attitude that can turn around and bite you in the ass!" She yelled after him, hastily kicking through the snow as they both climbed up to what would be their refuge for the night.

"I'm willing to take my chances, Ape!" He called over his shoulder as she finally caught up to him, huffing and puffing with each step. "You need to stop being so serious and loosen up."

"You need to start being more serious and stop being a jerk!"

* * *

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	5. Pushing the Buttons

**Thank you White Firebird for beta reading this chapter! XD**

**Thank you to all who read, follow, and review. Your comments mean alot to me. :)  
**

* * *

He _had_ to kick the door open, there wasn't any other choice. Paul neglected to tell them it was pad locked shut, and didn't offer a key.

"What d-do you mean it, it's locked?" April stuttered, her body so cold she could hardly form a coherent sentence now.

The wind chill had to be at least minus thirteen centigrade. It lashed around their bodies without mercy, and she could no longer feel her hands or her feet. Phil dropped everything in his arms and took a few steps back.

"What are you doing?"

He didn't answer her right away, steeling himself. He didn't know if he had it in him now, being so damned frozen, but he had to try to get them inside somehow. "I'm gonna kick down the door!"

"What? We can't do that!"

He gave her a nettled look. "Are you f-fucking kidding me? If I don't, Paul's going to have two more ghosts to worry about by morning! We can't spend another ten minutes out here, April! We both probably already have frostbite!"

She didn't argue. He was right. Holding and bouncing herself where she stood, she watched helplessly as he lunged toward the barrier to their survival.

He hit the door with an ineffective thud, cringing at how much the freezing air had affected his muscle movements. It cracked a little under the pressure, but still remained stubbornly in place. He snorted his refusal to give up. That door wasn't the only stubborn thing there. Once again, he stepped back and made another run for it. This time, he took the thing right off its hinges. April followed quickly behind to find him laid out across the broken door on the floor.

"Nice job, now how do we keep the wind out?"

Dust particles flew everywhere, picked up by the violent current of glacial air now skirting past them into the deserted home. Phil got to his feet slowly, carefully rotating his shoulder trying to work out the pain from impact he just took.

"Help me get this thing propped up." He looked around the near empty room, his eyes settling on a small dresser. "We can use that after I get the gear inside."

She pushed and he pulled, and within minutes they had the door almost fit snugly back into the cracked frame it came from.

It was just as damp and almost as cold inside as it was outside, save for the wind. It wasn't dark yet, but it was still hard to see inside. Dark endless shadows and overcast daylight could easily play games with a person's eyes and emotions here. April dropped what she'd been carrying and tried one of the old lamps.

"None of this is gonna work unless we have power."

"We'll have power when I get out to start the generator. I want to warm up a little in here first." He told her, rubbing both his hands together briskly, trying to get the feeling back in them.

"You really should wear those gloves before going out there again, _Phil_."

"**_Yes dear_**." He scoffed at her, grinning inside when he saw the insulted look on her face. "Just give me a minute, I want to make sure I still have all my fingers and toes before I go back out in that mess."

"Listen..." April stopped moving, feeling the sudden change. "Do you hear that?"

Phil opened up one of the camera cases and looked over to her. "What?"

"That's just it... the wind. It's died down to nothing."

He stilled, now noticing it as well. "That's odd. It only started up when we got here. _Hmm_." His pale green eyes were pensive as he looked from side to side, listening for anything else.

"I told you we aren't welcome... wait..."

His eyes snapped over to her, watching as she closed hers, anxiously chewing on her lips. Her young face so wrought with worry she looked pained.

"April, are you all right?" He was starting to really hate this about her. It interfered with his routine. "Or are you going to need to stay here while I do this myself?"

"No, no _we_ aren't all right. Phil... we need to be very careful tonight. I mean it! There's no way I'm letting you go out there alone!"

"I can take care of myself, I told you that." He chuckled. "Although I do feel better knowing you worry about my safety so much."

"Stop flattering yourself!"

"Not a chance,_ Ape_."

She made a face at him, still almost too cold to move a muscle, but knelt beside him and started to help unpacking. He was dismissing her again, and she hoped he wouldn't be sorry for it later. Part of her wondered if he was hiding his fear and common sense under all that flash and prideful ego. If he was, she had to admit he was damned good at it. She watched him remove everything from various black cases, mostly video equipment and wires, flashlights. It was like watching a kid with a brand new set of Lego.

It wasn't long before he had four cameras all laid out and the lap top on the table. All he had to do now was hook them all together.

April left him to his task, taking it upon herself to check out the old house before they set out for their real target, the church. There were some painting supplies left in a corner, and not much of anything else besides an old table and two chairs. April wandered into the adjacent room, letting her small hand trail lightly over the damaged, paint peeled walls. The place was shrouded in ghostlike shadows, left suspended in time with only the wind and snow for company. Tattered curtains hung low in some of the windows, moth-eaten and ragged, they gently swayed in a draft seeping between the pane and the sill, reminding her of a netherworld fairy. As she walked, a deep-set loneliness began to invade her, and when she rounded the corner she felt a different kind of cold swirling around her legs. Swallowing hard, she kept going, shuffling her feet, suddenly feeling a desperate need to help... _someone_. She could feel the anguish inside her own body, threatening to burst to the surface and make her sob out loud. This feeling wasn't like any of the ones prior. Gone was the anger, the fear... the hate. She wasn't afraid this time, she was just... sad. Her throat started to ache with a need to cry out, and the tears came out of nowhere. Taking a few more steps into the near empty room, she closed her eyes and lowered herself to the floor, letting her fingers gently skim along the hard wood surface beneath her.

_Help me._..

* * *

Phil had finally finished unpacking and piecing together the equipment, having laid out a few flashlights, and each of the four cameras out on the table, along with tripods and fully charged batteries. Setting this place up wasn't going to be all that difficult, he thought. At least it wouldn't require miles of power cords to get it done like when they investigated that abandoned hospital. The church really was the only building Paul wanted them to investigate, so he planned to set up cameras inside and out around the cemetery perimeter. If this place was as haunted as April and Paul believed, he was sure to get _something _on video. In fact, he was counting on it. Snapping the last of the battery packs into his thermal camera, he noticed he was alone. Her ever-present nagging was absent. He missed it.

"April?"

When she didn't respond, he pushed himself up from his rickety chair and went looking for her.

"Ape, you just can't wander off like that in a derelict house!" He called out after her, his deep, strained voice echoing off the ceiling and walls. "It's not safe, there could be loose floor boards and stuff... _April_!"

He started down the darkened hall way, each one of his steps causing the old floor to creak and sigh under his weight. He hadn't been kidding about the floors, they were in rough shape. That's when he heard it. Faint, barely audible, he could hear someone crying. The sort of soft, wrenching sobs one might hear at a funeral. He closed his eyes, thinking that shutting off one sense, the other would become stronger, as the sound dissipated into what he could only describe as thin air. He tried to follow the weakening cries, leading him right into the room where April was. She had herself planted down in the middle of the room, her arms folded around her body, and rocking back and forth, just like she was doing in Paul's home and on the boat before. He pulled a small recording device from his pocket and turned it on.

Immediately sensing he was there she opened her eyes and held up her hand. "Stop... please don't come in here Phil. He, _he's here_."

"Who's here April, tell me who it is." He quietly asked her, deciding to see for himself if anything she could give him would make any sense. He decided to start provoking what ever this was April so vehemently believed was stalking them. Strolling right into the room he placed the recorder on the window sill. "I don't care who you are, OR why you're here! You don't scare me, you big bully!"

April looked terrified. "He's really angry, unbalanced... he doesn't like you, Phil. He doesn't like you at all. You need to heed these warnings, because this spirit, he's pure evil. Don't rile him even more!"

"Why not?" Phil defiantly cast his glare around the room as if he was addressing a real person.

"You can't, he doesn't like it!"

"That's just too damned bad, isn't it? I'll do what ever the fuck I want. We're here and we're going to get answers, mister bad ass, weather _you_ like it or not!"

"Phil, stop it!"

He backed away from her, waving his arms above his head. "Who the hell do you think you are, and if you ARE here, give me a sign of that!"

The grinding bang that followed above them was enough to make April wet herself as she hit the deck. It sounded like a bloody gun shot. Phil blinked his eyes rapidly in disbelief, his shoulders raised up and drew forward with a sudden jolt... his upper arms now high in the air, knees bent and body lurched forward so fast he almost hit April. His stomach contracted tightly and he ended up on the ground beside her. They locked eyes. She could not believe him.

He was laughing. Literally laughing a sadistic, crazy person laugh. It almost made her skin crawl. Sitting back on his haunches he looked around them, a self-satisfied smirk now crawling across his handsome face as he nodded his head in approval, very pleased with himself.

"This, this isn't funny!" She protested, and watched as he hopped to his feet.

"Oh, I think it is... I was beginning to wonder about this place, now I have something to go after."

Slowly and calmly she stood up and walked up to her boss, placing her hand against his chest. Her reflective, dark brown eyes begged him to heed her warnings. Animated flecks of gold and amber ribbons pierced right into his inner-most secret of thoughts and he suddenly balked, stepping back. He didn't want to her know. She was too close...

She grabbed his coat and pulled him to her once again.

"_You listen to me_." She whispered, her eyes now darting all around them. "There's more than one here, we have to be mindful of the others."

His eyes widened, not with disbelief, but with genuine surprise. "The_ others_?" He swallowed hard, trying to recover from those baleful eyes.

"Yes... Look, there are weaker spirits here. They're afraid of the strong, evil one. The problem is that this mean guy, he controls them all, holds them prisoner. He won't let any of them leave this place. They want so desperately to go home, but... they can't." Her warm, peaceful eyes were pleading with him to stop aggravating the entity.

Phil dragged his hand through his hair, wondering how much of this was her imagination, and how much was actually real. "I heard sobs... in the hall way. That wasn't you, was it?"

She shook her head. "That was a girl, I can't get her name yet, he won't let me. I got the impression she wasn't more than a child, to be honest."

Phil swallowed hard... kids. Why did there have to be kids involved this time? That just made him even more determined to get rid of this controlling bastard of a ghost. "Well, he's about to have to. It's almost dark and we need to get our cameras up. It's go time, _Ape_." He smirked and winked at her before grabbing up the recorder and turning to walk out of the room. He would listen to that later.

* * *

It took Phil nearly fifteen minutes outside to finally get the generator to work. The litany of dirty words he let loose could be heard inside the cottage and probably all over the small island. After getting the power that they needed up and running, Phil and April headed over to the church with their arms full of cameras and extension cords. They only had a few hours of day light left before darkness would envelop the place, trapping them between two worlds. Time was slipping away.

April shuddered, partly from the temperature, but mostly from the forbidding feeling the old building was giving her. They pushed through the snow in silence, Phil leading the way. The frigid breeze cut through them both as she looked ahead at him, struggling just like she was up the hill. He was such a cocky bastard. His cute ass was going to end up in a sling if he kept antagonizing this entity, she was sure of that. She needed a distraction. Letting her mind wander from their current problems to his colourful tattoos, the strength of his arms, and the wicked curve of his scruffy smile provided her the momentary out she required.

He carried the bulk of their equipment, two large duffle bags slung over his bear-sized shoulders, only leaving her with one flashlight and a bag with the extension cords in it. She wasn't sure if that was his chivalrous nature, or if he just didn't trust her with all that expensive video equipment. She chose the latter. He had no chivalrous nature to speak of, she was sure about that.

He was so insubordinate, not caring about the consequences of his actions or feeling bad about it afterward. How she hated him for it. She hated him... him and the way his dark, inky hair caught in the breeze, cresting on top of his head in a halo of black ribbons now skirting over those turbulent, smokey green eyes. This thinking about him was a mistake. She needed a good, hard kick if she was going to get through the night without falling all over herself. Good god, April, snap the fuck out of it! You have a job to do, she tried telling herself, and stumbling ahead, fell back in step behind him.

This church wasn't the classic, Gothic style of centuries past, but a home build... something the people of the community would have constructed when they arrived here. It had arching, rounded doors and windows, and beautiful stained glass that remained unbroken over all that time. It's age definitely showed in the peeling paint, and its front step was almost all but collapsed now. The church still had it's roof, and a broken down wrought iron fence surrounding the cemetery that laid in alongside it. The graves appeared to be more than a century old, littering the snow-covered ground in every direction. There had to be almost seventy of them. What looked like dead old fruit trees lined the property, their craggy, grasping, witch-like limbs only adding to the creep factor.

Wisps of dead straw-like grass poking through the snow scraped against her boots with each step as she tried to use Phil's foot prints to make the hike easier. His stride was much longer, and soon she found herself hopping from one to the next.

On steady legs, they climbed the church stairs one by one, entering into the seemingly deserted vestibule. He jiggled the door open, and turned around so fast she almost walked into him. "This is it. You ready?" He was smirking at her now. "Or are you scared and want to go back to the house?"

"Of course I'm ready, just remember what _I told you_!" She pointed her mittened finger at him and tried her best to scowl. She needed to stay serious and focused here, and not let his playful shenanigans get the best of her. "Be serious here, Phil. I wasn't kidding about this thing."

"Yeah, neither was I. I don't like bullies, and this one is about to get his ass kicked out of here permanently."

After about an hour, a few small arguements, some insults, and a small pissing contest, they were done.

"Okay, everything's in place, all we need now is _darkness_." His voice was low, and he leaned into her and raising a brazen eye brow. "That's when the magic begins."

"You really are a piece of work, you know that?" She chided him. "For someone all about the science, you sure do like to amp up the scary ambiance. You should be able to do this in broad daylight, Phil."

* * *

**Will they find out who this evil spirit is?**

**Will the small girl be identified?**

**Will April and Phil admit they're attracted to each other?**

**Join me at Punk's Locker Room. The link is on my profile. :)**


	6. Holy Water Cannot Help You Now

**Hello again! So glad to see the followers and reviewers. Every comment is appreciated. Thank you. Now, a little MJ for ya. ;)**_  
_

* * *

_It's close to midnight and something evil's lurking in the dark_  
_Under the moonlight, you see a sight that almost stops your heart_

7:35 PM

Darkness now shrouded the tiny, desolate island in a blanket of stars, the powerful winds having pushed out all the precipitation before finally dying down to a weakening whisper. Phil seated himself across from April on the floor, finishing up a bag of M&M's, offering her the last few. She shook her head, still in the window, her eyes searching across the dusky, barren landscape. It had gotten a lot colder now, and they had both been forced to don all the winter gear they had despite having the space heater on full blast. The air outside was brutal.

She double checked her pen light, and the contents of the small fanny pack tightly fastened around her waist. Holy water, check. Emerald crystal to help keep away evil spirits, check. Cleansing sage, check. Zipping up the small bag, she closed her hands tightly over the talisman that she still around her neck. In anticipation what was to come only paled in comparison to how worried she felt...

Dutifully, she followed Punk through the biting cold again on their way up to the church, flashlights bobbing to and fro along the snowy path as he trudged along, leading the way. He carried a thermal camera, and it was her responsibility to catch everything on the hand-held infrared camera. One more time they climbed the dilapidated steps to the front doors. One more time he turned to her and smirked, shining his flashlight just under his chin like a bad campfire story.

"This is your last chance to bail, Ape. Are you in or are you too scared? After all, the place seems to be crawling with nasty ghosts and goblins this dark, dirty night. Uh, I see you brought your bag of witches tricks." He said, pointing to her fanny pack. "What foolishness have you got in there, now? Some eye of newt, bat's whiskers, troll's teeth?"

"Of course I'm in, you great big drama queen! And these aren't tricks, they're metaphysical insurance just in case you get us both in hot water! Now shut up and let's get on with this!" She snapped at him, tired of his making fun of her practises and beliefs.

Shaking his head he nodded his approval with a wry smile, turning his back to her. Jiggling the door handles, Phil let them swing wide open with the creepiness squeal she'd ever heard. Before stepping inside, he turned back to his nervous protegé. He just _had_ to pick.

"Ladies first?"

It was dark as pitch in there.

April pushed him, watching him stumble a bit before regaining his footing and taking the first steps inside. Switching on her camera, she followed right on his heels.

Completely black, she couldn't see anything without looking through the camera viewfinder, or using her small flashlight. She watched as Phil scanned the sanctuary with the thermal, looking for any temperature anomalies. So far, nothing. Not one heat signature to speak of. She wasn't even feeling that hateful presence anymore, thankfully, and had hoped the hateful one would just choose to keep his distance while they continued their investigation. This was one time she hoped they would get nothing.

Phil, as usual, was as excited as a fat kid at a candy convention. He was finally in his element, and had high hopes for the place after the events earlier that afternoon. Looking at the camera screen he could see some of the oak pews stacked haphazardly against the wall, others just scattered around as if the church had been picked up, shaken, and placed back on the ground. There was debris still laying about the floor, and he motioned around them for April to keep it in mind, pointing down as they took their first real tentative steps into the century and a half old building. The floor cried out its displeasure over being tread over once again, moaning with each careful step they took. He noticed some old, dust laden hymnals piled up along the steps of the altar, and he made his way over in that direction.

"Hey, I have an idea!" She set her camera down and dug out two of the pen lights from her fanny pack. "I use this when ever I want simple yes or no answers..."

He watched as she placed them on one of the pews and sat cross legged about ten feet away across from them.

"Ahh, the old flash light technique. I like it." He raised an impressed eye brow at her. Getting down beside her, he picked up her camera and focused it on the flashlights.

"Okay, this is a simple way we can try to communicate with you. One light on for yes, two for no. It should be really easy for you to turn the switches on, and I'm not going to ask you anything that requires more than a yes or no answer. Okay, do you understand?"

After a few agonizing seconds, one light came on. They both turned to one another, bursting with excitement.

"Okay, you can turn it off and I'll ask you something else. So, is this the young girl I heard ask me for help earlier?" April pressed, anxiously biting at her lower lip.

One light turned on and then off again.

"Fuck... this is crazy..." Phil muttered, almost not believing what he was witnessing.

"Okay, great! Thank you! Ah... are you being held here against your will?"

One light came on as expected, and went back out.

"Now we're getting somewhere." She said, and turned to him. He had a grin that stretched from ear to ear, his eyes now animated and genuinely interested in what she was contributing for once. "Okay, sweetie, we mean you no harm, and we want to help you escape from this place. Would you like that?"

Again, one light came on.

"Great, okay... is there something or someone here that is preventing you from leaving?"

One came on, then blacked out just as quickly.

April, without even thinking, reached over and took Phil's hand and squeezed. He glanced down to see her fingers weaving in between his, then up to her hopeful eyes and squeezed back.

"Ask her if the asshole that runs this place is dangerous."

Immediately the light came on, and it flashed on and off intermittently.

"Oh man... I think that's a definite yes, Phil."

"All right then." He straightened up his posture and cleared his throat before continuing on. "Are you free to leave?"

This time, both lights flashed before them.

"Is he stopping you? Is the evil man here, preventing you from getting out of here like April said earlier?" Phil asked her.

One light.

"Okay... that's okay, we're here to help you now." He assured the young spirit girl. His heart was in his throat thinking about how lonely she must be, and an overwhelming aching feeling swarmed his body. "Are you alone here?"

They waited for over a minute, before April finally broke the silence.

"I, I think she's gone..." Looking all around them, she was now convinced there was another, stronger and much angrier spirit now occupied their space. "I have a sinking feeling _He's_ back." She whispered, he heart still beating frantically inside her tightening chest. "Let's wrap this up and see what else there is around here."

"Agreed."

April followed close behind him as they walked through the maze of debris and darkness. Still watching through the camera's viewfinder, it suddenly hit her again. That overwhelming dread she'd felt only hours before when he antagonized what ever this was that resided among these old buildings. She gasped so loudly even Phil stopped and turned around, but he didn't look right. _He_ was back, and _He_ was after them. She watched, horrified, as the thermal camera he'd been holding slipped from his hands, and he slowly started to keel over to one side.

_You try to scream but terror takes the sound before you make it_  
_You start to freeze as horror looks you right between the eyes_  
_You're paralyzed_

8:22 PM

"Oh no you don't!"

She grabbed him before he could actually fall, settling him down on the altar steps.

"Phil, can you hear me?" She frantically waved her hand in front of his open eyes, and shone her little flashlight into them, hoping for a response. She knew what the entity was doing, and she knew this was a warning... in a mad panic, she opened up her fanny pack.

_What he saw nearly took his breath away... all he could do was watch, he certainly couldn't move. The hall was luminescent with dozens of candles, like something you would see during a séance. A girl, no more than eleven or twelve, was lying there, tied to the floor in the centre, and a Priest dressed in a long, black robe was off to the side making his preparations. There was insence burning and a circle of small, black rocks around her. It looked to Phil like he had walked in on some sort of sacrificial ritual. His victim lay there silently, and he couldn't tell if she was conscious or not at first, with most of her clothing removed in a nauseating state of undress. She was covered in some thin white linens. The Priest read a passage in what he was positive was Latin from a scroll, then placed it on top of the pulpit and turned to his victim. Getting down beside her with his back to Phil, he caressed the side of her bruised face, causing the girl to shrink away from him in fear._

_"There, there. I told you I have no intentions of hurting you… anymore than I have to. This is God's will."_

_The girl whimpered with fear, and turning her head, she caught Phil's eye._ "_Help me_..."

_You hear the door slam and realize there's nowhere left to run_  
_You feel the cold hand and wonder if you'll ever see the sun_

9:14 PM

"Phil, snap out of it, come on!" April pleaded him, desperately shaking his shoulders.

He blinked a couple of times, shaking his head and rubbing at his eyes, finally coming out of what ever it was that rendered him momentarily catatonic. He could hardly see her face, and he grabbed her, pulling her into him with such force she yelped.

"Did... _did you see that_?"

"See what? All I saw was you checking out at the speed of light!" April told him, her face now buried into the crook of his neck. His smokey, calming scent eased her fractured nerves. He was vibrating. "What did _you_ see?" She quietly asked him.

"I think I know who our evil spirit is... There were lit candles everywhere, and this girl, a kid... she was tied up on the floor, right here!" His quivering voice now edged with tension as he pointed to the stage area, still unwilling to relent his grasp on his assistant. "There was a Priest, conducting some sort of demented ritual with her. It made me sick just watching it. I... I don't know where that came from, and I don't mind telling you, I'm highly uncomfortable now."

It was then that he noticed he was still holding her against him a little too intimately. Letting go, he offered her an apologetic smile.

"I, I'm sorry for... uh, you know." This was fucking awkward...

"Oh, that's all right, no problem." She assured him, grateful the darkness hid her blushing cheeks from view. "You were out for about fifteen minutes."

Glaring at her revelation, he dragged one hand across his face and sighed. His expression was resolute, he wasn't about to give up on this yet.

"He's trying to scare you... he's sending a message, Phil. He wants us to leave, we aren't safe here."

"I'm freaked out too, but we're not leaving! I want to know what that bastard did to that kid, and I'm going to stop him from doing it again."

April timidly glanced all around them. "I know he's the one keeping her from joining her family. That's why she's still here." She said, clutching a small crystal in her hand. "Listen, will you at least put this in your pocket? She took him by the wrist and placed the small emerald into his palm.

He snorted his indignation over the gesture. "What the hell is this?"

"It's protection against evil spirits. It might not be much help, but it's something." She was hopeful, but didn't hold her breath.

Phil started laughing, and wasn't shy about. "I don't think so, here." He handed it back. "I told you I don't _need_ any of that weird stuff April. I'm fine on my own."

"I'd feel more comfortable if you just carried it." She insisted.

"I said _no_, now we need to refocus and get moving again."

"_Fine_, suit yourself." She relented, taking out the small bottle of holy water when he turned his back.

"It's our job to make sure we reunite her with her family, and crush him." He was adamant. He hated people who hurt kids, and spirits were no different. Turning back to her, he spied the bottle and she had her arm raised at him ready to use it.

Before he could utter one word of protest, she started splashing holy water all over his head and face. He wasn't going to listen to her, so she had to take matters into her own hands.

"What the..." he sputtered, holding up his hands so she couldn't splash him in the face again. "Damn it April, stop it!"

"You need this! You're a walking target and I'm not going to be left here alone if you get yourself in over your head!" She warned him.

He looked over to her and relented, finally. "Okay, okay, if it makes you feel better give me the stupid fucking rock... If he can do that to me, and I don't believe in this having visions shit, he can probably do a lot more." Pocketing the emerald, he cast one more dirty look before stalking off towards the rear of the building.

"I think the Priest's office is to the right of the staging area here, let's see if there's anything left. Maybe a clue about who the girl is that I saw."

April picked up her camera and followed close behind him. "Do you think she's one of the kids that died from the influenza outbreak?"

"I don't think she died from being sick, April. I think the Priest here is responsible for her death."

_You close your eyes and hope that this is just imagination, girl!_  
_But all the while you hear the creature creeping up behind_  
_You're out of time_

* * *

_**Thank you again for reading! Please let me know what you think and don't forget to check out my other fics, and those of my friends!**  
_

_**Thank you also to Kelzo for proof reading some if this for me too. XD  
**_


	7. We did it They're gone

9:45 PM

"I'm beginning to think the same thing." April agreed, keeping the camera trained on Phil as they made their way into a small office at the very back of the sanctuary. "The energy surrounding this island is so powerful. At times, I almost feel like I'm suffocating."

"You're way too touchy feely, _Ape_... Can't you shut that off?" He asked, sounding a wee bit irritated with her. He still didn't want to acknowledge she even _had_ a sixth sense, let alone start relying on her feelings to sort out this mystery. No, he wanted to do it the old fashioned way. His way.

"NO, I can't shut _it_ off." She stopped and glared at him through the camera. "It's not like a light switch, you ignoramus. They're feelings and you can't just turn off feelings!"

"What a shame."

Frowning, she ignored the fact that he once again referred to her as _Ape_, and took another swipe at her abilities. Without a word, she followed him into the small room. Dust swirled around them as they made their way inside. She watched him shine a flashlight along the bare, peeling walls... grey streaks of mold crept across them from many a damp, wintry night over decades of neglect. Flaking specks of old lead based paint littered the floors, along with a couple of unfortunate rodent corpses. April winced at the sight.

The disused wooden furniture in the room was beyond rotten, stained with lichen and covered in years of debris. An old bishop's desk was the only piece of furniture left in the room that still looked useable, it's drawers all pulled out and a layer of thick dust covering the severely pitted, oak surface. Phil ran his index finger along the top, writing his name in the dirt. Wiping his finger off on his jacket, he started to rummage through the drawers. The first two contained nothing, much as he expected. Getting down on his knees, he completely pulled out the bottom drawer, both of them cringing at the shrill, ear shattering squeal it made.

"Sometimes these old writing desks had built in secret compartments..." He started to say, flipping the empty drawer over, then tossing it aside. His body hunched over on all fours as he stuck his hand in where the lowest drawer had been, fingers feeling around for a hitch, a button, something.

She took a small step back, focusing the camera on his butt just for fun. _Nice ass_... she thought, playfully zooming in and out. "Be careful, you don't know if there's a rat in there." She warned him.

No sooner had the words left her mouth, the middle drawer suddenly shot out, catching him so hard in the head she could hear a loud crack as it made contact with his skull. April let out a scream and almost dropped the camera as he reeled back, howling in pain.

Clutching above his right ear, he swore multiple times in what she was sure were three different languages, stomping his boots on the floor and stirring up more dust trying to will away the incredible hurt of having a hard object snap back at him with such force, he now noticed, that he was bleeding.

"Oh shit!" She dropped the camera the moment she saw blood trickling from his ear, and fell beside him. Sticking her pen light in her mouth, she grabbed onto his head with both of her hands, examining the damage.

"Fucking god dammit all to hell... _Ow_!"

"Hold still... wiggle monkey." She instructed him, taking out a small handkerchief and dabbing at the small puncture wound. "You wouldn't listen to me..." She started in on him, gently parting his hair so she could at least apply some pressure to make sure it stopped bleeding. "I told you _He_ doesn't like you. I told you to watch it and not be an ass. But oh no... the indestructible Phil Brooks has to try and one up an aggressive spirit! He has to go paint a fucking giant bulls-eye on his back!"

"Are you finished?" Snorting his displeasure, he sat back and let her fuss, wincing every time she pressed a little too hard. "Did anyone ever tell you you're as gentle as a summer breeze?"

His comment was dripping with sarcasm and she wasn't interested in any more of his bullshit.

"No I am not. _Finished_, I mean." Satisfied the blood was quickly clotting in his hair, she dabbed at it a few more times before sitting back on her haunches as staring at him. "There, now you'll live."

"Thank you, _Nurse Betty._"

He was pissed off. Not with April really... but with the situation. Clearly he was close to something, and clearly, this entity didn't want him to find it. He was more convinced than ever now, that the girl he had seen was a victim of a crime, and not a medical statistic. He pushed himself up off the floor and dug his hands into this pockets. Grabbing the digital recorder from his pocket, he turned it on and slapped it down on the desk.

"Okay, wise guy... so you can show me things and smack me in the head with an old drawer! Whoopee for you! What kind of pervert are you, anyway? Is this what you were doing, assaulting young girls? Why don't you show yourself instead? Are you that much of a coward that you can't face me, but you can go after little kids?"

They waited for a moment, Phil hoping for a reply, and April hoping for nothing. She couldn't shake the presence now. It was all-encompassing, seemingly surrounding them, circling them like a predator, and they hadn't even been inside the church more than a couple of hours. _He_ was so angry...

10:14 PM

"Let's see what we got." He picked it up and played it back.

"_Okay, wise guy... so you can show me things and smack me in the head with an old drawer! Whoopee for you! What kind of pervert are you, anyway? Is this what you were doing, assaulting young girls? Why don't you show yourself instead? Are you that much of a coward that you can't face me, but you can go after little kids?"_

'_He's coming for me...please, don't let him get me...'_

"What the fuck?" The voice was so quiet and soft, and feminine. "That, that was the girl, wasn't it?"

"I believe so, and I'm beginning to think it wasn't the Priest that showed you what happened here. I think it was her."

His shocked, moss colored eyes looked over to April and biting at his lip ring, he swallowed hard. He remembered well the image she presented to him, and he was lost for answers. "I, I don't know what we can do to help her."

"Here." She shoved the camera into his hands and unzipped her fanny pack, taking out a small tea light candle and a book of matches. Sitting cross legged on the floor she looked up to him. "I do. We're going to make sure he never hurts her again! Sit with me, I have an idea."

Phil set the camera on the floor and pointed it at April. What ever hocus pocus she was about to try he was going to document on film. "So, what exactly are you doing?

"I'm going to try and help her cross over. _We_, Phillip, are sending her home to her family. Without her here, the Priest will have nothing. He won't have any choice but to leave this place." She told him, and grabbing his hand, tugged him down to the floor with her.

"What?" He peered at her through disbelieving eyes. "This isn't going to work, you have to know that."

She didn't answer him, setting the small candle in between them, and lighting it.

"Give me your hands, tough guy." Her luminous brown eyes fluttered up to his and held him there. "I need you to try, okay? I know you don't believe in any of the things I do, but I need you to, no... wait, _she_ needs you to try."

"All right. I'll try." He relented, and reached over to her. "I don't know why I let you talk me into any of this crazy voodo shit."

"You let me because deep down you know I'm right." She answered him, and gave him a cheeky wink.

11:11 PM

He watched as she closed her eyes, concentrating on what, he couldn't see or feel. All he could feel was a painful mountain sized goose egg now forming at the side of his head. She squeezed his fingers in her hands as she took three or four really deep, powerful breaths, straightening her posture and holding her head up high. He only blinked once or twice, unwilling to miss a moment of what she was attempting. It was the first time he had ever witnessed or participated in anything like it. The air became colder than it was only a minute before, and he could feel her tremble slightly, watching as gooseflesh appeared on her exposed arms. It felt like they had been sitting there forever before she finally began to speak.

"Sweetie... my name is April, and this is Phillip. We're here to help you go home. What's your name?"

"You can get her name?"

"Yes, now hold on a minute. You need to be quiet." She scolded him. After a couple of minutes, April opened her eyes. "I... I think she just said her name is Casey and, wait... oh wow! She says she's the one who let you see her, and what happened to her."

He could feel his chest tighten with grief for this kid, and he dared not close his eyes for fear he would see it all over again.

The moon started to peek through the dirty windows, its phantom-like beams of light crawling across the room like a snake, illuminating everything in its celestial glow. Closing her eyes, she tried to hold onto them.

"She's so afraid... he's got a hold of her and I'm feeling three others."

"_Three _others?"

"Yes, they're all kids, and they're terrified of this thing, oh my god." Her eyes popped open suddenly, making Phil jump with a start. Her breathing became erratic, and her heart was palpitating in her chest. "I know what happened! He, that monster, he killed them all to cover up what he did!" She blurted out, her beautiful face twisted with anguish.

"April, can they tell you what he did to them?"

She started to shake her head back and forth quickly, and her whole body rocked in place. "He, he, oh... I don't even want to say it. That _animal_... They were molested! Every one of them!" Tears started to fall freely from her eyes, and she looked over to Phil, who was stunned. "He killed them and made it look like the sickness did it. He was never discovered. The only problem with that was he also died not long afterward. He, he's been torturing these kids ever since!"

"You gotta be kidding me..." Blinking back his disgust, he tightened his grip on her unsteady hands. They were so cold, and he gently rubbed at them, trying to generate even a little bit of heat. Heart-wrung with pity over those kids, Phil sighed. "How could anyone do such a... oh man..." He didn't know if he was more upset over them, or angry with the Priest.

"We have to get them home, before _He_ comes back for them!" Her soft voice quivered, and she grabbed his forearms, pulling them face to face, mere inches from each other. Her eyes drifted from his open mouth to his half lidded, worried eyes. "I can only do it if you help me."

Nodding, he agreed. How could he not?

The despairing look he gave her was answer enough and when she closed her eyes once again, he did the same.

"Okay sweetie, Casey... we're here and we need you to all hold hands, okay? Hold hands... good. Now, there's a light you need to walk towards, and there's no need to be scared. If you walk into that light you'll be with your families again. The Priest can't hurt you anymore. Please, go now, before it's too late."

She could feel _Him_ again, and her anxiousness increased, knowing the children were still on this side.

"Hurry! Go now!" She cried out, her voice breaking. "Please hurry!"

It was then she took a violent tremor, instinctively grabbing Phil one more time by his coat before her entire body relaxed in his arms.

He jerked back a little, startled. "April... did they, did they make it?"

He watched her face, and the relief sweeping over her whole being could be clearly seen. Her shoulders relaxed, and she released her iron clad grip on his coat now. Wiping her eyes with her scarf she opened them, and smiled. "We did it. They're gone."

He sat there with her in his lap for a few moments, rubbing her back and trying to make sense of what he'd just been witness to. This was nuts... Everything was eerily quiet, too quiet. An almost uneasy sense of calm settled down around them like a shroud, and when he looked up he saw it. The blurred image of a twisted face, its red eyes staring back at him.


	8. his own warm blood, everywhere, all over

**Thank you for all your comments and follows! Thanks to Kelzo85 and Sam CF for reading for me too! I really do appreciate your comments and hope to hear from you.**

* * *

12:00 AM

His careful hands skimmed down her shoulders, then up again, gently tucking her wild hair back into place behind her ears. April's heart was bursting with a sensation she did not recognize, and he tugged her just a little closer. Closing his eyes he leaned into her, grazing his lips so close against her ear she trembled at the feel of his warm breath there. He smelled so sexy... April leaned into him, welcoming his gentle teasing, gradually dragging his breathless body even closer. She felt so good about what she had just done.

They had only been allowed a few peaceful seconds... then everything changed without warning. April could feel him immediately tense up all around her, and her eyes popped open in surprise... Without any warning he suddenly twisted her about-face in one quick, jarring movement. Before she even realized what had happened, she was staring at what he had seen... the tall, shadowy figure, with eyes like red coals coming right at them. It was dressed in white flowing robes, hurling an ornamental spear towards them, the glint from its sharp metal tip catching her eye. It was so fast... His body slammed hard into hers and she fell back, still desperately holding on to him.

Pulling away a little, her worst fears were confirmed.

Phil knew he had no chance to do much else, so he did the only thing he could... if anyone was going to get out of here alive, he was going to make sure it was April. No red-eyed, freak faced phantom was going to distract him from that purpose. It was his job to make sure she was taken care of. He knew he had to protect her no matter what. His eyes slammed shut from the force of the blow, and wincing, he choked back the searing pain.

Teary, terrified eyes dipped down almost immediately, staring in disbelief at the tip of a serrated metal blade protruding from his flesh, and the blood…his own warm blood, everywhere, all over. Panic flooded through his brain and body, and he lurched frantically towards April. Clutching his saturated, reddened coat, the mind numbing pain finally started to register and dizzying shock began to set in. Looking up to her horrified expression, a flutter of frenzied emotions reflected behind his darkening eyes. He didn't want to die.

"Oh fuck, Apri...I, I can't..."

She briefly looked past him and caught sight of what she was sure was the murderous Priest evaporating into the still night air... She wasn't sure, but she could have sworn she heard maniacal laughing. When she felt Phil stirring in her arms, she shook herself and tended to him.

"Shh, don't try to talk okay? Everything will be all right." She lied… at least it felt like a lie, carefully helping him to his side before picking at his bloodied clothing. "I have to see exactly what's going on down there okay? Please let me see?" She gently moved his bloodied hands away from his stomach. Ripping open his jacket with shaky hands, she exposed the horrific wound completely... three more inches and it would have gone right through his body cleanly. _Wonderful, bloody wonderful_, she thought, feeling her own heart thudding wildly beneath her ribs. Her head hurt, and she didn't know what she was doing, but she had to do something. She didn't know who was more scared, her or him. Knowing she didn't have any other alternative, she swallowed hard. She was going to have to push it through if he had any chance of surviving.

"_April_?" His voice was little more than a whisper. He had to know what he was up against, and tried to catch her eye but she was being evasive.

Purposely avoiding his fearful gaze she cried openly. "It's bad Phil, it's really bad." She sputtered, unable to hide that tattle tale quiver in her voice, and rolled up her coat, gently placing it under his head. Her hands were covered in blood. "Listen, I think can fix this but it won't be easy, and I'm afraid it's going to hurt like hell."

Phil didn't look like he believed that was at all possible. He was in agony already. "Just do w-what you have to..." He told her, getting weaker by the moment.

His life was slowly slipping away as she readied herself, deliberately pulling him against her legs, her knees tucked snugly between his shoulders and one hand gripping his right shoulder. Time was not going to wait. "Okay, place your hands against the wall..."

"I.._.can't_..." He rasped, his body wracked with pain. He could barely move.

"Try Phillip, please! You have to! Do not to bend your arms, I need you to brace yourself. I'm going to push it through, as quick as I can. Okay? Just do what I tell you... _please_..." She hung her head with worry. "I am so sorry."

He complied with her request as best he could, unsure he had any strength left to help her carry out the act. April took a few deep breaths, scared of hurting him even more, but she knew there was no other choice. It had to be done.

"Just relax your stomach muscles if you can… and take some air into your lungs!" She told him, noticing the irregular catch in his shallow breathing. Wrapping her trembling fingers around the thin, wooden staff, she felt herself die inside. Was she capable of doing this? She was shaking wildly now. Counting to three she found out.

He cried out loud from the moment he felt even the slightest pressure against his torn, tender flesh, and when she drove it through he all but passed out. Once the blade was away April quickly broke off the tail end and extracted the weapon from his body completely, tossing it aside.

Working rapidly, she managed to wrap his waist tightly with her woolen scarf, praying it would be enough until Heyman showed up in the morning. There was a good possibility he had already lost too much blood, not to mention how fast an infection could set in. He was a ghastly pasty white colour, and he could no longer speak properly. She would have killed to hear one of his insults right about now… She gently eased him back, and only then did she start to feel a panic rooting itself deep inside her body.

Phil lay propped up against her lap, his heavy-lidded eyes trying to stay open as long as he could manage. She could feel his warm blood soaking her lap while her tears fell over her cheeks like a fretful stream over the rocks. The air was icy, devoid of anything remotely holy or sacred. It just felt empty, like she did.

April's frightened, puffy eyes darted all over the sanctuary as she lovingly pulled her fingers through his thick, tawny hair, gulping up great gasps of air trying NOT to let him see her cry… that just wasn't going to be possible the moment he covered her hand with his and gently squeezed. Nothing else mattered, he was hurt and she couldn't help him... she couldn't take away his pain, she couldn't heal him, she couldn't stop this.

"_April…p-please look at me_…"

1:07 AM

"April! Look at me, dammit!" The urgency in his peaked voice was unmistakable. "Where the fuck did you just go?" He shook her shoulders much more harshly this time, breaking the powerful trance she was in.

"_Phil_? Phil!" Her unbelieving, watery eyes darted to his middle. She immediately unzipped his jacket, and grabbing at his belt, she frantically tugged his shirt out from his jeans, then ran her palms across his warm, his unmarked flesh. Where was the blood, the ripped flesh, the anguish in his eyes? She blinked in disbelief, fully expecting to see a bloody, gaping wound. All she found was his smooth, hard belly, and she discovered another one of his many tattoos.

She now realized everything she'd just been the victim of a cruel lie. "You, you're..." Releasing his belt buckle, she bashfully retracted her skinny fingers from his naked skin. "_You're not bleeding_."

"You saw it too, didn't you?" He softly asked her, uneasily rubbing at the back of his neck. This time they both got worked over. He still thought he could feel the blade stabbing him through the gut.

April chewed on her bottom lip and shyly nodded. "Yeah, I, I thought you were, uh... dying." The image evoked made her stomach start to stagger again. "I'm sorry for... I didn't mean to...hurt... tuck your shirt back in, will you?"

Phil reached for her, and taking her by the shoulders he gave her a small, supportive squeeze. "Look, it's okay. We're okay. We were just thrown for a loop. Those parlour tricks aren't going to work a second time." His infuriated gaze circled the room, making sure any _thing_ that was still lurking around _knew_ it was being formally addressed.

He couldn't even look at her right away, remembering vividly how she had tried so desperately to save his life. The things she was forced to do made his own stomach heave a little. His jaw clicked, replacing the nausea with anger. He didn't like being played, even if it was by a spectral pedophile Priest. He was pale, and sweating profusely despite the freezing temperature. Hell, his heart still hadn't been able to ease up... he'd just been stabbed to death by a ghost. He really _did_ think he was going to die. Stealing a quick glance at her shaken form, he could see she wasn't in any better shape emotionally. Her pretty amaretto eyes were bloodshot from sobbing over him, and he was humbled by that.

"C'mere." He pulled her close to him, swathing his arms around her. "It was a trick, okay? You saw yourself, I haven't got a mark on me."

"But he did hurt you... what about your head? If he can do that..."

He huddled her closer, both having suffered from the same nightmare.

Cutting her off, he wanted to make sure she knew they weren't beat yet. "This thing is just screwing with us April... he's not going to get the the opportunity to fuck with us a second time. Do you understand?"

Unsure, she gave a weak smile, still not confident in his assurance. The apprehension that consumed her body was unrelenting, striking a fear in her she'd never felt on an investigation before this one. Phil was so polarizing, he failed to understand how detrimental that could be for him in this situation. This _thing_ was feeding off his anger and he didn't want to hear it. He was still more interested in getting even than staying safe.

* * *

Her camera was still rolling, and she panned slowly around the gloomy, pitch dark abyss of the sanctuary again, hitting every corner until she came back around to where Phil was now standing, back on the centre of the stage by the decapitated pulpit. She kept the camera on him as he checked for electron-magnetic static, passing the small device through the air at different levels, listening to its sharp squealing rise and fall. When it started to kick into high gear, April wanted to drop everything and run for the first time in her life.

"He's here... the bastard." Phil was sure of that now more than ever. Reaching into his breast pocket he grabbed a piece of gum, offering April a piece. "Gum?"

"N-no thanks. How can you be so casual? I mean, that thing just made us think you were a dead man!"

Phil crumpled up the candy wrapper and stuffed it into his side pocket, about to give her several reasons for his steely, vengeful attitude when he felt something, and pulled out the digital recorder he'd placed there earlier. "Oh shit, I forgot about this. Let's see what we got."

Setting it on the pulpit, he hit the button and they both listened.

_"Stop... please don't come in here Phil. He, he's here." _

_"Who's here April, tell me who it is... I don't care who you are, OR why you're here! You don't scare me, you big bully!" _

_"He's really angry, unbalanced... he doesn't like you, Phil. He doesn't like you at all. You need to heed these warnings, because this spirit, he's pure evil. Don't rile him even more!" _

_"Why not?" _

_"You can't, he doesn't like it!" _

_"That's just too damned bad, isn't it? I'll do what ever the fuck I want. We're here and we're going to get answers, mister bad ass, whether you like it or not!"_

_"Phil, stop it!"_

_"Who the hell do you think you are, and if you ARE here, give me a sign of that!" _

There was a loud bang in the back ground._  
_

**'_I_**_**'m going to drown you**__..._'

"Holee fuck! Did you hear that?" Phil was incredulous. "That twisted bastard wants to drown me! What a fucking joke! I'd like to see him try."

"Okay Phil, this just got real. We can't keep pissing this thing off. The kids are safe, lets just go back to the house and wait for daylight. We, we have enough material here for Heyman to sink a ship!"

"What, are you losing your nerve already? I thought you wanted to see him pay for his sins, April?"

"I do... but, I'm... I don't know if we should try to make him atone for anything. It's dangerous to mess with spirits Phil, especially ones _this_ evil. If you don't know what you're doing you can make it so much worse!"

"Then _help_ me! I know you can do this! Hell, this supernatural sorcery is right up your freaking alley, isn't it?" He was losing his patience, and started to storm off towards the door. "If you don't want to get some justice for those kids and kick his sorry ass out of here, I will!"

"Wait!" He was going to end up getting himself really hurt if she let him go.

He stopped dead in his tracks. Slowly turning around, he planted his hands on his hips and cocked his head to one side. "For what?"

"Okay, I'll do it, but, you have to do _everything_ I tell you." She stared him down, her serious, brown eyes catching his and holding him there. "Phil? Promise me."

His eyes narrowed and a self-satisfied grin started to curl up at the corners of his sexy mouth. "Okay April, I promise."

2:04 AM

"Begone, and never mess with me again in the name of... of... April, in the name of who? Stan, Basil, Aunt Fanny, who?"

"You aren't performing the rite, _I am_. You're only the back up singer for this show, big guy. Now stop fooling around give me your hand." She knew he wouldn't be able to help himself. He was like an overgrown child that insisted on touching the hot stove burner even when told not to.

Grabbing him by the wrist and drew what looked like a bright red Z on each of his open palms. His hands were large, she observed, and lingered a moment longer than she probably should have, noticing his powerful life line slanting across his calloused hand. She ran her finger slowly over it, her eyes drifting up to his.

Her gaze was intense and he had to break it for fear of what he might do next. He was watching her with great intensity, and she could feel his breath hitch when she ran her finger back over the same spot.

"You have what looks like a long, virile, healthy life before you." She said, releasing him.

"What does that mean?" He asked, shaking his hands so that the ink would dry faster. "The letter, I'm referring to the letter."

"It's the Eolh rune." She explained, now drawing the same letters on her own palms. "In the Norwegian _Rune_ Poem, _Eolh is_ linked with the claw of a hawk. It's used in defense spells. That's what's going to hopefully make it impossible for Him to hurt us. Hopefully."

He raised a questioning eye brow at her, not quite believing it. "Okay, so how is this supposed to work?"

"It's a banishing spell, and he has to be present to be effective. I need you to provoke him, then I want you to stand with me in the direction _He_ is. Clap your hands three times so that it stings, hold your palms out with your fingers up, then repeat everything I say. You got that, _smart ass_?"

He smirked at her. "Oh, I got it, _Witchipoo_."

She shot him an indignant glare. "You're the one who asked for my help, now do you want to get rid of this low life, or what?"

Phil bowed down deeply. "You have the floor, _Madame_."

"_Ass hat_." She muttered, and took a deep breath. "Okay, start provoking him, _Beast Master_."

Phil ignored her flimsy attempt at an insult, and took a few steps around the candles she had lit and placed in a circle on the floor.

"So, you like little kids... I know what you did to Casey and her friends, you creep. I also know you murdered them and lied to their distraught parents to cover up your hideous crimes! You're nothing but a despicable piece of garbage!"

April closed her eyes and concentrated, waiting to feel his menacing presence once again. She listened to Phil do his damnedest to bait the spirit, and just when she thought it wasn't going to work...

"I'm not afraid of you, you're a monster, but I can beat you! You're nothing but a disgusting, dirty old child molester and a murderer!" He shouted into the still, frosty night air.

She shivered. "He's here."

Phil's head snapped over to her and he became suddenly quiet.

"Come over here with me and we'll start." She instructed him.

He stood beside her and not once did he take his eyes from her. He wasn't sure, but he could have sworn she looked so much stronger than she had in all the time he'd spent with her so far. She had an air of confidence that he hadn't seen until now.

They both clapped their hands three times sharply, and she began.

"Eagle's claws are strong, and Dragon's teeth are long..."

"Eagle's claws are strong, and Dragon's teeth are long... Jesus April, this sounds too hokey." He started to laugh.

She glared at him. He was such a putz. "Phil, _be serious_!" She whispered.

Settling back down, she closed her eyes and continued. "Arnhofdhi guards the way, Sigfadhir wins the day."

"Arnhofdhi guards the way, Sigfadhir wins the day." He repeated without further comment.

"Begone!" They both ordered in unison.

They both waited in silence for what felt like an eternity, before Phil finally spoke up.

"Did it work?"

"I don't know yet."

* * *

**Did the banishing spell work?**

**Do you think Phil and April can get along now?**

**Are they out of danger?**


	9. Something twisted and vile

2:42 AM

"I freaking hope so... there's only so much of this devil's sorcery I can take, _Witch Hazel_." He teased her, carefully touching his fingers to the side of his painful head. His hair was now matted together with dried blood, and god, was it ever sore. His brows pulled slightly together in middle and he closed his eyes, trying to tamp down the building tympani drum solo now making itself noticeable. It had been a very long night.

She watched him paw at his injury and winced each time he did, astounded at how many silly nick names he now had for her after only a few days together. Soon, they would be going their separate ways. No more nick names, no more teasing, no more anything. She paused at the thought... pretty soon they would be so far apart. He would be back at his home in Chicago, and she, well she'd be back in Seattle where she was based. It was becoming more difficult to escape the overwhelming feeling of wistfulness that started to slowly creep through her body now. While not able to quite believe it herself, she was hoping they'd formed a connection of some sorts, and she knew she was really going to miss that.

"You really should stop picking at that." She told him, her pensive, coffee coloured eyes watching him nurse the tender spot over his ear. "That was quite the wallop you took earlier."

He scoffed at her. "Yes, _mother_, I'm fine. I just have a little head ache, nothing serious, okay?"

She eyed him with uncertainty, knowing full well they'd both been physically drained, and had their emotions cruelly toyed with throughout the long, cold night. She shivered a little, and rubbed her gloved hands up and down her arms trying to create a little extra warmth. In her moment of quiet contemplation, she watched him as he started to dismantle some of the standing cameras in the sanctuary. For all his mistrust and out right relentless mockery of her talents, he'd actually come a long way in her eyes. His willingness to take part in her iffy banishing ritual was proof enough to her that he was starting to at least try to accept her antithetical methods, and this made her feel warm inside, despite the dipping temperatures.

To be honest, he'd be a liar if he didn't admit he was impressed by her, and not because of her groovy ghoulies shtick. No, he was proud of her because she showed grit, determination, and she hadn't tried to kill him with her bare hands yet, either. The fact that she didn't run screaming from the place after first contact was impressive enough all on its own. He'd watched a few grown ass men run screaming from an investigation and that wasn't the least bit assuring. April, well... she didn't shy away from a damned thing... and when they were tricked into thinking he'd been fatally stabbed, to which he still had no explanation for, she showed how brave and resourceful she really was. She didn't shrink away like a scared little rabbit... no, she was clear and present in the moment, and she complimented him so well. Her unorthodox, plucky, smart assed ways wowed him, and it went without saying that she was beyond beautiful. He would have to have ice in his blood not to notice that. He_ was_ drawn to her, although he had a hundred great reasons as to why shouldn't be. But, he'd found a new respect for her, despite his unwillingness to admit that her skills _had_ been helpful. Truth be told, he was going to miss her once this investigation was over. He really was.

"So what now?" She asked him, feeling fatigue start to sneak up on her like a thief. Rubbing the drowsiness from her eyes, she welcomed the idea of going back to the cottage and curling up inside her toasty sleeping bag until Paul returned for them in the morning.

"I want to do one more sweep before we head back, you know, make sure _He's_ gone. Who knows, maybe we'll get lucky and find something we missed in the process." He suggested, fishing out the digital recorder again.

"I don't think we should push it, Phil."

"Come on, where's your sense of adventure, Ape?" He gave her a questioning, meditative look.

"I left it in my throat when I thought you were dying in my arms, _smart ass_!" No way could she look at him and admit_ that _at the same time. It was _that_ real. She had been _that_ afraid...

"Aw, I knew you cared, _hunny bunny._" He said in that cheeky, smooth baritone drawl she was finding more and more difficult to resist.

His soft, gentle tone stirred her inside, and she defiantly crossed her arms over her chest, unwilling to let him win.

"Cut it out Phil! I do not!"

"Oh yes you do, I saw how you cried over me." He couldn't stop tormenting her, it was way too easy, and oh-so much fun.

She pointed an accusing finger at him. "_You_ cried _too_, as I recall, big guy!" Smirking, she followed through. "There were great big tears in those big, ol' puppy dog eyes, _mister_. I'll never forget the mortified look on your face..."

Her satisfied little grin disappeared when she saw his eyes darken, and she quickly turned away from him. He got down beside her and placed two fingers under her chin, forcing her to look at him. Biting at his lip ring he sighed, his smoky green eyes now boring into hers.

"And I'll never forget the heart break on _yours_."

The empty, haunted look she gave him was jarring... he knew he hit the nail on the head, no matter how much she would try to deny it. He had to refocus. What they'd seen had shaken them both up more than he'd realized.

"I still think it was sweet of you to cry for me, kiddo. If I really _had_ been dying, I'd have wanted my last memory to be of you. A guy's gotta have one beautiful thing to take with him to the other side."

"_Phil_..." She couldn't utter more than a whisper, trying to understand the scope of his words. "No one deserved to feel what you did. It, it was brutal, and... and I just want to forget about it."

She nervously wrung her hands together in her lap now, having shucked off her gloves to help him pack up, completely flustered and uncomfortable with how close he'd gotten. His leg brushed against hers and she could feel his warm breath on her frozen cheek as he leaned in even closer. She watched his heavy lidded gaze drift between her eyes and her mouth, and felt the warmth of his touch when he lazily slid his fingers along the smoothness of her neck before resting his hand at her shoulder. Her body suddenly couldn't stop tingling. The feel of him touching her in such a manner caused her stomach to start quivering uncontrollably. _Was he about to kiss her_? She closed her eyes and swallowed hard, turning away at the last moment, thwarting his attempt on her lips. The clumsy bump that followed forced him to back away and she could hear him sigh with regret.

"Sure thing, Ape... so do I." He agreed, repentantly dragging one hand over his face in muted defeat. _You stupid, fucking idiot!_ "Let's just forget about it then."

They stayed like that for a minute, until he heard her let go of a loud, gusty yawn.

"Aren't, aren't you tired yet?" She sheepishly asked him, trying desperately to change the subject.

His half-lidded eyes fell on her once more and he stood up, slapping at his knees, brushing the dust from the front of his jeans. "I don't sleep much, _April, _but you're obviously in need of some. I think it's time we headed back."

She stood up and started to help pick up the equipment when something caught her attention. Something twisted and vile...

"Phil, I think, he's _here_."

The words stilled him, but only for a moment. "What do you mean, he's here?" His eyes narrowed and his chest tightened as a prickling dread crept over him. _Don't let it be him, don't let it be him, don't let it be him_...

"I, I think the Priest..." She looked scared now, and searched all around them, trying desperately to see with her eyes the malevolent spirit she was feeling so strongly.

It was at that moment when something in his head snapped without any warning, divorcing his common sense from his addled mind.

"Are you telling me I let you rope me into some ridiculous, melodramatic, hocus-pocus play-script and it was all a waste of time?" He yelled at her, and pacing back and forth in front of her waved his arms up in the air in frustration. His vexation with everything... the cold, lack of sleep, the thought of those poor little kids, his sore, pounding skull... his failed attempt to kiss her... It was all starting to crack. He had no idea why he suddenly felt so angry and resentful, and he certainly couldn't stop his exasperated ranting if he wanted to. He wanted to but, he couldn't. "I can't believe I let you suck me into that crap! God dammit!"

"What is _wrong_ with you? You asked ME to help with this, or don't you remember that?" She shot back at him, shocked he unloaded on her so suddenly. "If it didn't work, Mister _Brooks_, it was because _you_ weren't taking this serious! You weren't taking ME serious!" She pointed an accusing finger right in his face, seething at him. "How dare you make light of what I do? If you had listened to me and done exactly as you were told in the first place, maybe my banishing ritual _would_ have worked!"

"That's bullshit and you know it! This is why I never wanted to have you tagging along on this investigation in the first place! You only ended up getting in the way, slowing me down! I didn't want you here in the first place!"

"Oh really?"

"Really! You were forced down my throat by the higher ups, and I had no choice in the matter!"

The sound of her hand connecting with his jaw was deafening, and the dark, infuriated expression on his face told her in no uncertain terms that she'd better back off.

He was about to start in on her again, when she held up her hand to silence him.

A small, faint cry whispered past her ear like an icy breeze.

"Wait, did you hear that?" She shushed him, now rapidly waving her hands in front of his face.

He became completely still, his chest still heaving from his outburst and the slap he'd received, listening. "What is it you _think_ you hear?"

She held herself, feeling the freezing air become even colder. "Crying." Looking back to him, she tried to get him to soften and listen to her. "I hear crying Phil... really."

We watched her, unable to explain the growing dislike for all she represented in his gut. He couldn't stop himself. "Are you sure, because I don't hear a fucking thing."

She looked up to him, her lashes veiling the hurt behind her gold flecked eyes. What the hell was going on with him? He hadn't been so seriously mean to her at all up until now...

Minutes passed as they stood mere feet from one another in silence. Neither one of them even tried to look at the other, for fear of what, they didn't know. Phil was the first to speak.

"_April_..." His voice was gentle and apologetic, and he stepped forward and put his hands on her shoulders.

She shrugged away from him and stalked towards to door. She wasn't having any of it now. "Don't talk to me, you jerk!"

"Come on... stop it. I, I'm sorry, God help me I didn't mean to say _any_ that." He could see the hurt and mistrust swirling in her eyes, and was acutely aware of the damage he'd done to what ever _this_ was between them. He'd just blown it all to hell in less than a minute. "I don't know what the hell came over me."

"Sure you're sorry. You've made it painfully clear you have no respect for me, or my profession. You know what? I get that, I _totally_ do. Most guys I meet treat me like I'm a lunatic because I _see_ things." Her wounded, watery eyes caught his, and he wanted to die from the shame he felt. "Look, I'm going back to the house, I'll see you later. It's been a slice working with you, _Punk_."

He let her leave, watching her until she disappeared behind the door, slamming it behind her. The slap echoed loudly though-out the sanctuary, and he cringed in its wake. There was no point in chasing after her, she was still mad, and rightfully so. What the fuck is wrong with you, he asked himself, and started to gather some of the equipment in his arms.

April wandered out into the dark, her mind clouded with images... from the dream she had being in closed, intimate quarters with him... to the look on his face when he kissed her, how she moaned against his warm, wet mouth. How natural and easy it felt to have him tasting her like he did, and how she enjoyed tasting him in return.

"Argh! Get the heck out of my head!" She grabbed at her hair and yanked at it in furious frustration. This was ridiculous and she knew it. He had an opinion of her, and she knew it was less than favorable. She was a nut bag to him, she was sure of that now. Taking a few steps, she paused, her gut telling her to stop. She hadn't even gotten out of the church yard yet when she heard it again. Her eyes fluttered in the light, falling snow, trying to identify where the gentle wailing was originating from. Her body continued to shiver, but she pushed her discomfort to the back of her mind as she concentrated on the crying of what she was sure sounded like a small child. Her heart sank... Had she missed one of them? Turning back, she headed towards the abandoned cemetery.

Phil had all but collected everything into the sanctuary, and was getting ready to start hauling it all back to the small house when it started. It was unmistakable... a booming, intimidating expulsion of menacing, doom-laden laughter filled the building, echoing off the faltering walls. He immediately fumbled to get his evp recorder on, and placed it on a broken pew.

"Come on you bastard... I'm not afraid of you!"

He wasn't expecting to feel the hot breath of something speaking low and sinister into his ear like it was standing right next to him.

"_You should be... you cannot take what is mine without paying a price. I have her... she is mine now.._."

Phil's instinctive reflexes jolted him violently forward and he grabbed at his ears in a panic, falling hard onto his knees in absolute shock. This thing was after April, and he had to get to her first. He had to.

"April!" His voice splintered off into nothing as he scrambled up to his feet. _Fuck, fuck, fuck_... it was happening again and he had stupidly let her go off on her own.

Throwing open the door he searched the darkness for her, his eyes straining into endless the night. Her foot prints were almost covered again by new fallen snow, and he took after them. Getting about halfway to the house, he noticed the foot prints started to circle back towards the church. _What the hell_? Now he laboriously back tracked, following as they veered off into the graveyard behind the church itself.

3:56 AM

She chased the mysterious cries into the lonely cemetery, through the rust laden, aging wrought iron gate and into a large clearing between several graves. She couldn't even hear the breeze any more... the crying had stopped.

It was too late by the time she realized she had inadvertently walked out over an open body of water. Panicking, she took a desperate step towards the shoreline she could only just now recognize with ease, to hear and feel the ice beneath her boots start to sigh and crack. _No, no no_...

"April, stop!"

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**#RedFoxyProductions**

**Let me know if you like it! I have another chapter for this coming later tonight. It will be the second to last one. **

**I took a poll as to weather I should make this a long saga-type story, or a whole lot of mini stories (shorts) like a tv show is done. The mini-series style won out, so I'll be doing more after this, and they will all have different titles, and be between ten to fifteen chapters in length each. Read and see how their relationship progresses though each of the different adventures they have. :)**

**Thank you to my beta readers again, you are all wonderful! XD Please review and tell me how I'm doing!  
**


	10. Just kiss me, April

**Hope you enjoy this one, there is one more chapter to go before we go on to the next adventure! Please let me know how you think, I appreciate all the comments and follows and such.**

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3:57 AM

Phil came careening through the gate. Every few frantic steps he took ended up with him down on his knees, only to struggle back to his feet and out into the cemetery where his precious charge had stormed off to. They both had been tricked... he knew now what the Priest had done, and knew why he'd lost his mind in the way he'd spoken to her just before she left. It was a well known fact that an entity can sometimes effect a person's moods, and for the first time in his career, he'd just become a victim of it. He just hoped he wasn't too late.

Pushing his way through the snow and around the building, he finally caught sight of her. She was standing out there alone under the fading light of a new moon, playing hide and seek between the drifting, ethereal clouds. In the very middle of what looked like a small clearing, with graves dotting along either side of it, she reached out to him, and he could not get to her. He stumbled to the edge, falling to his knees once again as he grievously realized how much trouble she was in. The hopeless look on her beautiful face told him that she knew it as well.

"It... it's starting to crack, uh... I don't know how deep this is..." She was visibly shaken, trying to stay as still as possible. Her involuntary shakes weren't helping matters.

"Just stay there and don't move a muscle!" His voice was strained and he tried so hard not to let his own fear show. "It's gonna be okay honey, _please_... just don't make any sudden movements, okay?"

The ice started to split.

"My god... _Phil_!" Her weak little voice squeaked out in desperation, ripping at his heart strings as another stress crack started to groan under her weight. She started to sound a lot more dire now. "How, how am I going to get off of here? Phillip,_ please_..."

She was so afraid. Hell, he was too. He had to find something to use to throw out to her, because there was no way he could go out on the already compromised surface. They would both drown. Sitting on his haunches, he wordlessly dragged both hands through his hair and over his frozen face, with no idea how to get to her before it was too late.

"Listen to me April, okay? Slowly, really slowly... try to get down on your stomach. If you can spread the weight out over a larger area there's less chance the ice will crack as quickly..."

"I, I don't t-think I c-can..." She stuttered, now down on one knee. Her body would not stop shaking from her fear. "Please... h-help me..."

"Okay, sweetie, okay, just don't move at all. I'm gonna help you..." An uncomfortable premonition of the inevitable pervaded his senses, and he swallowed hard. "I promise you." It was becoming increasingly clear she was going to go through the ice at some point, so he needed to prepare her. "If you go though, you need to brace yourself, okay?"

She nodded her head in acceptance of the fact she would probably not avoid going under, and her eyes locked with his.

He shimmied himself out toward her a little, testing the surface. "If, IF you go through, you have got to try, okay, try to control your breathing, try, please April... what ever you do baby, _don't_ panic."

She nodded, listening intently to the sound of his calming voice, and not once taking her terrified gaze from the safety of his grey green eyes. As long as she was looking into his eyes, she was still safe, still alive.

"Good, okay, I'm gonna try to reach you." He sat back on his heels and pulled his coat up his belly, his ice paralyzed hands fumbling with his belt buckle as he tried to pull it loose. Within seconds, he slid the long leather strap from their loops, and wrapping one end around his wrist, he lightly tossed the end to her.

"It, it doesn't reach!" She tried, struggling so hard to grasp onto it, but she just couldn't. Every small movement risked her already dubious safety all that much more. Tears started to slip down her near frostbitten face, but she could not feel them. In a frail, quiet voice, she asked him out right. "I, I'm gonna d-die, aren't I?"

Her voice was so small and defeated and it ripped at his heart. He was responsible for her, it was his fault she was out here in the first place... He looked at her through bleary eyes, knowing he had no choice. He just couldn't sit there and _let_ it happen, no bloody way. He wouldn't. Struggling to control the wavering in his voice, he started toward her. "I'm coming for you... you aren't gonna die, not while I'm still breathing... hang on, April..."

He crawled out over the edge even more, ever mindful of the increasing cracks and wheezes of the failing surface. His stomach clenched tightly and his heart raced faster than it ever had before in his life. He had to keep this from happening... she didn't deserve this. She wasn't going to be another soul for the Priest to torture for the rest of eternity. It really would be over his dead body.

"NO!" The frantic word leapt from her throat and echoed out over them across the cemetery and disappeared into the frozen night.

"_April!_"

It gave way so fast, the sickening sound of it something neither one of them would forget for the rest of their natural days. Having the freezing water close in all around her literally took her breath away. She sputtered, frantically floundering about in hysterics, unable to draw a breath, her entire body arresting in the frigid pond. She swallowed more water in her state of fright than she did air. She couldn't think at all, nothing made sense and she didn't even know her own name. She felt so incredibly heavy, her arms, legs, they felt like they were made of lead and had no strength at all. She knew she was rapidly losing her battle to remain on the surface... She was drowning, and the last thing she felt besides her stinging skin and lungs was his strong arm hooking her around the neck.

4:14 AM

He'd tried to remain as calm as possible as they both ended up submerged for those few, terrifying seconds, fighting back the urge to gasp and flail about in the black, freezing water. It bit at every exposed surface of skin, then started to envelop him under his clothing, causing him to cry out just before he found himself submerged and fighting for his own life. He groped blindly out, unable to see through the darkness and the splashing, barely able to breathe, trying to reach her before it was too late for them both. He already knew if he couldn't get to her, he wasn't getting out either. He kicked as hard as he could and tried to swim, and when he caught her around the neck and by the hair, he pulled her as hard as he could towards him. He had to make it... they both _had_ to make it.

He had wasted a lot of his energy struggling against the frozen water trying to pull them both out of the icy pond. When he finally felt his feet touch the bottom as he got closer to the edge of the water, he almost started to cry. Beyond exhausted, he could not believe he actually made it. He knew he shouldn't have been able to, but there they were. Pushing her body up on the snow covered bank, he dragged himself over her, and for a moment kneeled beside her now coughing form, trying to get his own breath back. His heart felt like it could explode at any given moment from the extreme physical exertion he'd just undergone. He couldn't stop the violent convulsions his body took every few moments, and once he struggled to his feet he started towards the only refuge they had... the house, carrying April's shivering body in his arms. He had to keep her as still as he could, no sudden movements, no jerking her around... they couldn't afford for cold blood to rush from her arms and legs into her heart and brain, making matters even worse.

"_Can't... oh god... cold_... _Ph, ph.._"

"Stay with me, Ape... _please_." He begged her, noticing her drowsiness and slurred speech as she kept trying to say his name, over and over.

Kicking in the door, Phil took five or six steps and fell hard when his knees finally buckled under the dead weight of their water laden clothing, having depleted all of his strength trying desperately to fish her from the icy water. His heart beat savagely beneath his ribs and he could not take in enough air to satisfy his searing, oxygen starved lungs. He carefully deposited her still quaking body onto the floor close the the heat lamp, and turned to secure the door shut with his boot and the help of that old dresser once one more time.

Immediately, he started to strip. Everything wet had to come off of the both of them.

He let his coat fall to the floor, and grabbing both his sweater and tee shirt by the hems, he peeled them over his head, adding to the saturated, growing pile of clothing. Kicking off his boots he undid the buttons of his pants, and pushing them and his boxers to the floor, he gingerly stepped out of them. He quickly unfolded one of their sleeping bags and opened it up, this was going to be a two for one deal tonight, readying it to place April inside the moment he had her down to her birthday suit.

It didn't even register to her what he was doing, nor did she notice when he kneeled next to her completely naked. She didn't know where she was anymore, and all she wanted to do was sleep... Cautious, unsteady hands began to tug at the zipper of her jacket, and she could feel him cup her head gently in his hand to slip her arms free, discarding the soaking material off to the side. Her boots and socks were next. She winced, unwilling to help and only wishing for him to leave her alone so she could drift off, despite the tremendous involuntarily quaking she did. His shaking hands worked as quickly and calmly as possible, trying not to jar her body any more than he had to in order to get the rest of her clothes off. His fingers were almost refusing to work now, and after a few curses and fumbling at the button of her jeans, he managed to finally get it open. The zip was easier, and he pushed the cold, wet denim over her hips and down her golden, shapely thighs... _oh jeez. _His stomach started to somersault at the sight of her, and this was just her legs.

"_I, I, I... Phil... so... so cold_..."

"I k-know, sweetie, m-me too... you'll be nice and t-toasty in a, a few." He promised between desperate gulps of air. "Just, just give me a, a moment."

His body was covered in tiny goosebumps now, and the water in his hair beaded down his back allowing every little draft to add to his already numbing shudders... Crouching beside her and taking a small pair of scissors from the first aid kit, he started cutting away at her two sweaters. It was a hell of a lot easier and faster than trying to get her to sit and drawing them up over her head. He snipped from the bottom hem in a line up the middle of her front, then gently tugged the sleeves free from her body.

"_Oh... I'm s-so... let me...s-sleep._.."

"No baby, y-you can't sleep, I'm so sorry. Stay with me, please..." He was begging her now, and tossed her ruined sweaters atop the rest of their clothing.

All that remained were her bra and panties. His dark, hooded eyes skimmed over her perfect flesh, and he felt so guilty for what he was about to do.

"I just want y-you to k-know... I'm not g-getting any grati-gratification out of any of t-this." He told her in a hushed, hoarse voice, knowing full well she couldn't hear him now. He'd be a liar to say he hadn't been the least bit curious to see her since he first laid eyes on her, but not this way. Giving his head a shake, he bit nervously at his lip ring, unsure if he _could_ do this to her. She didn't know him, really. They weren't lovers and they certainly were not friends... He had no right to touch her like this.

But he had to... His fingers refused to stop trembling, and he closed his eyes for only a moment, snipping the bra between her breasts, then watched as it popped open and the silky, damp material fell away. Swallowing hard, he knew he had to finish it. There wasn't any choice and modesty wasn't going to keep her alive. Deftly, he peeled the last, small piece of wet clothing away from her hips, ditching it with the rest.

"Okay, April, come on, n-now... don't go to sleep, baby, you, you _can't_." He told her, his voice hitching in his throat. Carefully hooking his arms under her shoulders and behind the knees, he hoisted her up to him. It was the first time in his life he had ever been this scared.

The moment her naked flesh touched his, his stomach reeled and he stood there a brief moment and closed his eyes, trying to quell the natural stirrings in his gut and groin over the fact that his nude body was intimately touching an equally nude female... _this _female. The female that infuriated him at every turn... the one who almost got him arrested because she looked so young, the one who dumped a gallon of stupid holy water all over him, the one who barged into his room after that dream he had about kissing her... Now here she was in his arms, for reasons that didn't make sense in any world. She was so soft, and she fit against him so perfectly. _God help him_...

It took a bit of maneuvering, but he was finally able to place her inside the sleeping bag so that she would be facing him, and he crawled in next to her, circling his large arms around her neck and tucking her head just under his chin, creating a tiny, greenhouse effect between them. He smoothed back her long, damp hair, studying the sexy curve of her mouth, the way her refined nostrils flared every time she shuddered in his arms, to how innocent she looked curled up next to him like this.

"_You are such a beautiful creature_..." He whispered, and pressed a small kiss to her pallid, cold fore head. "Please, _please_ be okay sweetheart."

Another wave of tremors wracked his own body and he pulled her tighter, hoping it wasn't too late. The most important areas to warm up, he remembered, were the head, neck, chest and groin... with both of them still in fits of unconscious shivering every few minutes, this wasn't going to be easy.

4:56 AM

After a while, his shakes were slowly starting to quell as he pulled her body flush with his. The surreal sensation of her soft, round breasts now firmly pressed against his chest threatened to overwhelm him, but he managed to hold himself in check, even if it was one of the hardest things he'd ever had to do. She needed him, and he wasn't about to let her down. Looking to her sleeping form, he sighed as she squirmed in his embrace. He'd failed at keeping sleeping beauty awake, but at least her shivering had started to ease just a little. Hooking one knee over her hip, he used his leg to anchor the rest of her lower body as close to him as he could get her. The faster she warmed up, the faster he could remove himself from this delicate, unnerving position. His hand was now spiked into her hair, and he pressed his whiskered cheek to the top of her head, drawing in a deep, frustrated breath. He never imagined four days ago they would be sharing one sleeping bag, completely naked, for _any_ reason.

6:45 AM

Darkness still reigned the land, and April could vaguely hear a soft, steady thumping against her ear, and the intense warmth she felt made her groan out loud with contentment. The intoxicating allure of sleep still held her captive between unconsciousness and awakening. Her small hand was spread out along hot, smooth skin, her fingertips mindlessly brushing back and forth along a small, circular metal thing. Her head was filled with a familiar masculine scent that intruded like a beast on her semi-conscious mind, and she nuzzled even closer to its owner. She was so warm... she felt so safe...

Her mind was still fuzzy, and the last remnants of a dream were being chased away by the realization that she was in someone's arms, and she didn't have any clothes on. He didn't, either. Her eyes instantly popped open, but she made no move to push away. She was too scared to. Her face was pressed hard against a beautiful, colourfully tattooed chest, and her fingers were twiddling with a silver nipple ring. Her tummy started to flutter at these new sensations, and she wasn't sure if she was more excited by them, or scared to death. His long legs had twined between and over her own, and his heart beat a steady, strong pattern into her ear. She could tell by his breathing that he was still asleep, and she had no desire to change that.

It all came back to her in a flood... falling through the ice... Phil going in after her. In her effort to save his life, he had risked his and ultimately saved hers. She closed her eyes for a moment, remembering how scared he looked just before she went through, and how grateful she was that he was there with her in her hour of need. She still didn't know how or why she was out there, but it didn't seem to matter now.

She could feel one of his large hands snarled into her wild, dark hair, and his leg was still curled over her hip, so close she could feel the surprising length of him pressed against her thigh. He really was a big guy... in every way she had imagined. Curious now, her hand moved slowly over his chest and wandered across the vast expanse of his shoulder, then down along his hard muscled arm. She drew in a sharp, sudden breath... it was more involuntary than anything, like a cold chill running down one's spine. She stilled, hoping her abrupt movement hadn't woken him yet, as she wasn't finished exploring.

His other hand was resting between her shoulder blades, keeping her as snug against him as humanly possible. He'd been determined to make sure she didn't die from exposure or hypothermia, of that she was certain. Her breasts flattened against the smooth plane of his chest and she wondered for a moment how long they'd been like this. His hot skin almost burned, pressed so intimately next to hers, and she quietly reveled in the new sensation, having never been this close to any man. Especially_ this_ one... Oh, she had experimented with others, but they had never been important enough to her to share in anything this personal. She allowed her hand to hover across his hip, and slip slowly behind him. She was going to take a brazen liberty she had been wanting to take ever since laying eyes on him. He wasn't even conscious, he would never know... He really _did_ have a nice ass, she thought, and took a chance, kneading her fingers into his firm, warm flesh. _Hmm..._

His voice was rough, and drugged with sleep as he spoke. "Don't freak out Ape, but I have to tell you _that_ feels _real_ nice."

He could have sworn she stopped breathing as her entire body stiffened against his and her hand immediately snatched away from his rear end. He couldn't resist it, he really couldn't... She had stilled in his arms, refusing to look up at him.

He dipped his head down, trying to see her, thoughtfully pulling his fingers through her long, matted hair. She instinctively hid into the burrow of his chest, her heart pinging haphazardly inside her rib cage at an unholy rate. She had been _caught_. Oh my god... She would never hear the end of this... oh god, _the end, HIS end... and she was mauling it_... she felt utterly humiliated. Good lord, he had _nipple rings_?

He could readily sense her embarrassment, and lay there with her tiny, tensed up body curled against him, trying to think of a way to make this less awkward for both of them. She was just hiding now, he figured. She was probably thinking if she stayed quiet and ignored the fact that he just caught her groping his butt, it would all go away. A small, self satisfied smirk appeared, and he couldn't help loving the fact that she had willingly wanted to touch him.

"Okay...I, I'm sorry for startling you. April, please look at me." He nudged her fore head with his nose. "You know I had to... it was the only way to keep us both from freezing to death. I took no liberties with you, and if you want, you can still hate my guts once we're dressed."

He waited for her to respond, and sighed heavily at her continued silence.

"Come on... there's nothing to be embarrassed about, okay? Really, we would have been dead, April. If it makes you feel any better, I'll never mention this to anyone else, or to you again. Consider that it never happened. No one else needs to know."

He couldn't explain the huge feeling of relief he felt when she started to timidly tilt her head upward, her eyes finally meeting his for the first time since they went through the ice.

"_Really_?"

"Really.

She chewed on her lip and swallowed the aching lump in her throat. "Uh... thank you, Phil. Thank you so much for... for saving my, my life. If, if there's anything I can do..."

He brought his hand up to her face, his finger and thumb tracing a line to her chin, and lifting her eyes to his. "Well," he rasped, his want filled, mossy gaze traveling between her animated, amaretto eyes to her full, quivering lips, "there is one, small thing..."

She knew better than to ask him. She did. She was just that stupid. In a small, trembling voice, she had to ask. "What is it?"

"I would like a _thank you_ kiss."

"A what?"

"Just kiss me, April."

Her eyes widened, and her mouth hung open. He was leaning in. _God_, did he ever smell good.

He gave her a waggish smile and winked at her, as if he knew something that she didn't. Caressing her cheek, he lifted her chin some more, their noses almost touching. She could feel the warmth of his breath brushing the top of her lip and she closed her eyes, surrendering to him. His warm, wet lips pushed against hers in a slanted, purposeful manner, intent on extracting from her his price.

The electricity she felt was jarring and immediate, and her body relaxed against him at last, relishing in every exciting sensation. She could feel his hand slip behind her neck, holding her to him as he gently started to capture her bottom lip in his and sucked so lightly, eliciting a surprising moan from her throat. She couldn't help it. Her hands had were now grasping his shoulders, anchoring her in place as his tongue slid across her swollen lips and into her mouth. She opened up readily, accepting him, ardently kissing him back. She couldn't explain the heat now pooling at the apex of her thighs, nor did she want it to end. She could feel her blood coursing through her, and felt a dizzying madness threatening to completely consume her. She couldn't stop herself from threading her fingers into his long, dark hair, grabbing fistfuls of the soft, feathery locks and tugging between her muffled cries.

When he pulled away her eyes popped open in bewilderment, drunk from his sweet assault. "You're welcome."

April had no words, she really didn't.

He looked down at her dazed expression and smirked. She looked like a virgin that just had her cherry plucked.

"Go ahead and get dressed, I promise not to peek." He chuckled, and turned around in the sleeping bag to offer her some privacy.

He waited for her to start rummaging in her bag before he decided to say it.

"I guess you were right about one thing..."

"What's that?" She asked, suddenly sorry for it.

"There was a lot more to look at than I had imagined."

"PIG!"

**#RedFoxyProductions**


	11. all through the night

**Here we are at the end of this first mini short. The italic paragraphs are flash backs and the small ones are lyrics to ~ All Through The Night ~. :) Love all that are reading and leaving their comments. It's a treat to hear what you have to say about my stories. **_  
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_~All through the night  
I'll be awake and I'll be with you  
All through the night~ _

It had been three weeks.

He missed her.

Every time he closed his eyes she was there.

She would be sitting there molesting that damned talisman around her neck, praying to goodness knew what for protection from a threat he was never sure had been there in the first place. Shaking his head he laughed inside, remembering how delirious she had been, and how much she yammered away in her sleep. She woke him twice with her vivid, unconscious conversations to no one but him. The way she curled into him damned near had him in tatters, and the swelled feeling his heart had only worsened his ability to keep from holding her a little too close...

_~This precious time when time is new  
Oh, all through the night today  
Knowing that we feel the same without saying~_

"_What was that Ape?" He quietly asked, trying to coax an answer out of her. This was way too much fun._

"_Hmm...screw you... Phil..."_

"_I __**wish**__." Damn it if part of him didn't really mean it. _

_She squirmed against him like a hungry little sex kitten, driving his already thin reserve right into a tailspin to hell, spreading her open palms out across his naked chest and mumbling something completely undecipherable under her breath. _

"_What was that, you said you want a great big, sloppy kiss?" _

"_Hmm...me too." She whispered, smacking her lips together in a big, breathy yawn._

_He knew she didn't know what she was saying and he chuckled, adjusting himself accordingly. Just listening to her was making it extremely difficult to tamp down his own urges, but he did it. Phil Brooks was nothing if he wasn't honorable. He would see to it she got through this unscathed, but he was at least going to have a __**little**__ harmless fun at her expense for all his trouble..._

"_Apriiil... do you like me?"_

"_Uh...huh... I like...y-you."_

"_Did you like working with me?"_

"_Pain in the...ass." She murmured, and shifted to get closer to him, unconsciously craving his body heat and and curling her hands around his large biceps trying to get closer._

"_So, sweetheart, are you gonna miss me?" He felt like such a fucking teenager._

_Her elegant brows furrowed unfavorably and she grumbled a little before her pretty face unfurled the snarl, and she nodded her head, presenting him with her beautiful smile. _

"_Is that a yes?" He whispered, hopeful, and leaning on his arm he propped his head in the palm of his hand, just watching her. He'd be passing notes in biology class next. _

"_Mmmhmm..." She slowly raked her bottom lip under her front teeth."Miss, you..."_

_He did his best to keep from laughing enough to wake her, intent on plying her muddled, semi-conscious mind with more immature questions. But something stopped him, and for some reason, he felt the sudden need to admit a small unavoidable truth to her. Brushing a few strands of her hair away from her face, he gazed wistfully at her, studying the simple, unfettered innocence that was all April._

"_You know what?" He leaned in, his lips a hairbreadth from her ear. "I don't know how you did it, but you seemed to sneak up on me, and very few people can do that. I'm going to miss you __**a lot**__, Miss April Mendez."_

_Suddenly she gave a massive shudder, and her arms circled around his neck like a vise. She had him hooked so close that his face pressed into hers, and he could feel her warm breath now skirting across his upper lip._

"_Hold me... so, cold... scared... Phil."_

_His heart tightened at the sound of her small voice saying his name like that. She sounded so afraid, and he tightened his arms around her and sighed. "It's okay April... I've got ya, you're safe baby. You're safe." He assured her dreamy state of mind as he closed his enervated eyes, and resting his head next to hers left a considerate, soft kiss on her fore head._

_She nuzzled up close just under his chin, making him shudder for an entirely different reason now. _

_~We have no past we won't reach back  
Keep with me forward all through the night~_

Backing up the file again, he watched the footage she shot when he was pulling the drawers out of the desk, smiling at the extreme close up his rear end got just before the drawer hit him in the head. Did she not realize that he would eventually see this when he reviewed the evidence later on? Shaking his head with a chuckle, he closed his lap top and mindlessly chewed at his lip ring. She was such a funny woman-child.

Now it had been three weeks since they parted ways. True to his word, he'd kept their near fatal fall through the ice and intimate warm up session to himself as promised. No one was seriously hurt, so no one else needed to know. He was sure the poor girl would have died from embarrassment at the telling of the tale.

Rustling his phone from his pocket, he slipped through his contacts list, stopping at her name... _Ape_. He made a mental note to change that to April later. His thumb hovered over the call icon for a few seconds before he started to shake his head and stuffed the phone back where he got it. He had no business calling a twenty-five year old girl, for god sakes. None at all. What on earth would he say to her? He rubbed at the stubble growing on his chin, confused for the first time in his life over what to do about a girl. She was someone he worked with once, someone who drove him bat shit crazy in less than two hours of meeting her, but... she was a mystery he wanted so desperately to solve. He'd been told before he tended to get infatuated far too quickly and often had very little self-restraint. He wondered if he was doing that now. It had been a while since his last relationship, and he could very well chalk it up to being a little lonely. Nine years her senior, part of him knew better than to believe the girl was really interested in him. Oh sure, she grabbed him, kissed him... he had to write that off. He couldn't over look the circumstances.

They had gone through the ice, both thinking that was it. To be wrapped up in a small sleeping bag with a stranger was unusual, but it was only done to save their lives. There was no other reason for it.

For fuck sakes, Phil, he tried telling himself, stop mooning over it like a god damned teenager and get the fuck over it.

_~And once we start the meter clicks  
And it goes running all through the night  
Until it ends there is no end~ _

He left her protection talisman on her. She noticed it when she was getting dressed. Everything else had been stripped from her shivering body except that. Everything. Maybe he really did respect her methods? What ever the reason he didn't take it from her, and she was grateful.

Also true to his word, he'd given her a raving review he promised he would to their producer. That would mean she might be considered again for future assignments. Assignments that might include working with Phil again if she was lucky. Oh god, she sure hoped she was that lucky. Her mind drifted back to the next morning in the cottage, and how he seemed able to make anything better.

* * *

"_Oh my god!"_

_She saw Phil jump inside the sleeping bag, but he dared not turn to look at her._

"_What?"_

"_You, you destroyed my Dumaris lingerie set!" She was frantic._

"_Your what?"_

_He felt something slinky slap him in the back of the head, wrapping itself around his face. Gingerly, he picked the lacy little number from around his ear and neck, remembering well taking the scissors to them only hours earlier. He rubbed the soft satiny material between his finger and thumb, recalling the beauty they had concealed. _

"_Phil!"_

_Her shrill voice jarred him back to reality, and this time, he turned around in the sleeping bag. He didn't care if she was decent yet or not. She stood there in her panties, clutching her wet, cut up sweater to her breast. His broody, sleepy eyes appreciated the provocative sight, surely._

"_Do you have any idea how much that cost?" She glared at him, and watched as he just shrugged."Oh my god you... you're impossible!"_

"_You know damned well I could NOT leave you in any wet clothing!" He argued in his defense._

"_Phil... you could have __**unclasped**__ it. You didn't need to butcher it!" Her hands closed into fists and she crouched forward, daring him to repeat once more his excuse. It was bad enough he'd seen her entirely nude! But, but to CUT her expensive bra off? "You, you're paying for this!" _

_Shaking his head back and forth, he just raised his hands, palms up in the air, gesturing his inability to understand why she was still so angry. He'd just saved her life. That was just a stupid, albeit sexy, bra._

_She couldn't believe the clueless expression he wore and watched as he dragged his back pack over to where he lay. He sat up, the sleeping bag covering him from the waist down. That was of no matter now, she thought, she already had every solid, sinewy inch of him committed to her memory. Forever. He grabbed a black, Straight Edge tee-shirt, pulling it over his head and down the rest of his torso, covering the myriad of colour inked across his upper body. Next, she noticed he had a pair of boxer shorts in his hands. His disheveled hair fell low in front of his eyes and tickled his nose, she noticed, when he stopped to rub the back of his hand across his face. Looking up at her, he winked._

_Her stomach almost evaporated when he moved to slip the shorts on. He dipped his hands below the sleeping bag and hooked both feet into them, then lay down, shimmying them up his legs. She could tell he was trying to tease her now. Arching his hips high into the air as his tee-shirt covered him, he pulled them up over his butt. _

"_You're __**still**__ paying for that bra."_

_He was sitting cross-legged now, with his hands resting on his knees. "Why don't you just put a change of clothes on, April? Instead of standing there in next to nothing... not that I'm complaining."_

_She stood there, sniffling a little, her eyes darting from side to side now, not really too interested in telling him why she was trying to put on damp clothing. _

"_April?"He cocked his head to the side, his curious pale green eyes imploring her for an answer. "Well?"_

_She dipped her head down a little, her eyes falling to the floor. "Uh..." Her lips nervously pursed together forming a straight line. She hated to admit when she'd done something this ridiculous. "I, I didn't bring anything..."_

_He rolled his eyes. "Seriously, Ape? You always bring extra clothing on these trips! It's fucking winter!"_

"_I know it is and yes I did, but they're back at Paul's!" She fired back, realizing how stupid it was not to bring her clothes here as well. "It was only supposed to be over night... I didn't think."_

"_Obviously." Phil's tone dripped with sarcasm as he picked himself off the floor and grabbed his bag. _

_She was shivering now, the coolness of the air starting to creep all over her exposed skin ever since leaving the warmth of their sleeping bag and his body. She was covered in goose-flesh. Clutching her ripped up sweater to her chest, she gave him a sheepish look through apologetic eyes. _

"_Here." He handed her a bright red sweat shirt, a pair of socks, some track pants, and another black hoodie. "Get dressed before we both have to crawl back into that sleeping bag." He turned to give her some privacy and muttered loud enough for her to hear. "Not that it would be such a bad thing..."_

* * *

_~Oh the sleep in your eyes is enough  
Let me be there let me stay there awhile  
We have no past we won't reach back  
Keep with me forward all through the night~ _

When the door bell rang, she got a start. Dragging herself from her thoughts she shuffled down the hall way and into the foyer, opening the door.

"Package for Miss April Mendez."

""Yes, that's me." Her eye brows crinkled together and she frowned. "I'm not expecting any packages."

"Well this one had your name on it. Sign here please?" He held out a clip board and pen, and once she scribbled her signature across it, he handed her the box and left her standing there.

It was maybe ten inches long, five inches tall and it weighed almost nothing. She turned and closed the door, taking it to the chair she'd been sitting in moments ago. Dropping herself into the plush seat, she started to inspect the package labels. Her eyes widened in disbelief and shock... this came from Dumaris in London? She ripped the box open and found an envelope inside, addressed to her in his comic book scrawl.

_April..._

_I hope this will redeem me. I am very sorry I cut your pretties up with scissors. Won't happen again. I just picked what I thought would look hot on you. PS: The cat's ears are for those wacky, unhinged, do anything moments. ~Punk~Rawr~Merry Ho Ho~_

She placed the card down and like an excited little kid at Christmas, she started to pick the items one by one from the box. He really _had_ been paying attention to her ranting.

There were several pieces there all in the same color scheme. Everything matched... three different bras in a soft olive colours patterned with tiny black polka dots, trimmed in soft, feathery black lace. One plunge bra, one balcony bra...digging further, she pulled out a frilly thong in the same colored satin and lace, a pair of classic bikini panties, and a satin teddy. Lastly, the little couture lace cat's ears. She put them on her head and smiled to herself.

"Rawr!"

_~We have no past we won't reach back  
Keep with me forward all through the night~ _

"Fuck this shit." He said to himself, and grabbed his phone one more time. "I'm not a high school kid and neither is she."

He would call her, what did he really have to lose, right? If they were anything, they were at least friends, and friends were more than allowed to make phone calls to one another without it being weird. Besides, he had an excuse after all. He wanted to ask her if she liked her new frillies and were they enough for her to forgive him for ruining her original one. Friends always buy friends expensive lingerie, right? He would ask her to text him a picture... okay, maybe he wouldn't ask for that. Fuck, his nerves were shot, and he knew it as he pressed her number... it took him four tries.

It rang, and rang, then went to voice mail...

* * *

"_Okay, I guess this is my gate." She hesitantly announced, and she turned to face him. _

_He insisted on taking her to the airport once they got to Chicago._

_Stupid, stupid, stupid..._

_She still had another four-hour flight to Seattle ahead of her. While she knew it would feel great to finally get home, she couldn't help the burning in her gut at the thought of leaving him behind. Would she get to work with him again, she wondered? Would they call or text like they had planned to, or even see one another ever again? She had so many questions and not one answer. It made her literally stomach sick when she looked up at him through her bleary eyes. It felt like her whole world was collapsing, and she was going to implode along with it. She missed him already and he was standing no less than eight inches from her._

_She was about to say something when he suddenly wrapped his arms around her body and picked her up into a bear hug. He smelled so good, so comforting and safe... his big,strong arms squeezed her gently, and she could feel his warm breath caress her ear and throat as he spoke.  
_

"_I'm going to miss you, a lot. You have my number, okay?" He rasped into her ear as his voice started to break. Setting her down he pinched the bridge of his nose with his thumb and fore finger for a moment to try to force the emotion back. He didn't want to look sappy or weak in front of her, but this goodbye shit was killing him. "For what it's worth, I'm really glad we had a chance to work together April. You're one awesome chick."_

"_Thanks." She wasn't sure if she could muster up more. They had only been together a week, and she was feeling like she was leaving her best friend of years. The man saved her life... he could have drowned right along with her... Her stomach had contracted into a tight, hellish ball and she drew in a long, medicating breath. "I enjoyed working with you too. I, I'm gonna miss you, big guy. Call me, kay?"_

"_Yeah, I will." His fuzzy chin sank to his chest and he heaved out a beaten down sigh. "Have a good flight, and I promise to put in a good word for you at the office. You did great, April. Really." He lifted his olivine eyes to her sad dark brown ones and she couldn't break their gaze. "I'm sorry, I, I'm just really shitty at these things." _

_'Flight 323 now boarding for Seattle.'_

"_I guess that me..." her voice started to dissolve into tears._

_He leaned over intending to give her a chaste kiss goodbye, but April had other ideas, and grabbed his unshaven face, slanting her lips across his in a desperate need to convey something much more. Up on her tippy toes, her nose bumped his a little awkwardly at first, but within seconds his hands were cupping her flushed cheeks as well, and one kiss became two, and three..._

_'Flight 323, last call...'_

_His tongue was warm and wet, and she slid hers over his bottom lip, sucking on his lip ring before slipping inside his mouth. Her hands gripped at his shoulders and she clung to him. Phil moaned into her as one of his hands spiked into her hair for one more, last kiss. _

_Breaking apart, their chests heaved and their faces peaked with colour. Neither one of them had dry eyes at this point. It was then that April couldn't take it anymore, and she bolted for her gate without another word..._

_Phil reached out to grab her, but she was too fast. Fuck, fuck, fuck... he'd scared her. He was sure he did. _

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**This isn't the end of their adventure... be on the lookout for the next in the series... Seven Devils.** **Thank you to all that read, and review, and thanks to Sam for beta reading some of this for me. :)_  
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	12. Chapter 12

The next in the series, Soul Searchers is up! It's called 'Soul Searchers (The Seven Devils)

Check it out! Thank you for reading and enjoy!


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